


Star and Luma vs the Forces of Evil - Season 1

by aplumafreak500



Series: Star & Luma Vs. [1]
Category: Star vs. The Forces Of Evil
Genre: Alternate Universe, F/M, Modified Setting, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Self-Insert
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-04-20
Updated: 2019-11-12
Packaged: 2020-10-27 18:13:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 31,494
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20764760
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aplumafreak500/pseuds/aplumafreak500
Summary: An ordinary 14-year-old teen from Stony Creek, Pennsylvania finds himself on Mewni, as a twin brother of the Rebel Princess herself, Star Butterfly. Join Luma as he adventures through the multiverse, and finds excitement in his otherwise boring life.





	1. Star and Luma Come to Earth

**Author's Note:**

> So here it is! This is my first story as a fanfic writer. Comments are welcome!
> 
> Originally published on Fanfiction.net.

"...Another boring day done," I thought as I laid down in my bed.

Night had just fallen in the rural town of Stony Creek, Pennsylvania. Like with most small towns, every day tended to blend together, and nothing really stood out in my daily routine.

Wake up, go to school, come home, watch TV, play games, chat on Discord, sleep, repeat.

Sure, we had some annual events like the Maple Festival, but I never really got too into stuff like that, as the almost literal "shy guy" I am.

I turned on NBC Sports Network which was airing an NHL playoff game. Currently the Blue Jackets were trailing against the Lightning; my Penguins don't play until tomorrow, when they face off against the Islanders.

By the second period I was asleep.

* * *

I found myself surrounded by a rainbow of colors.

"Why do I feel like I'm in Explorers of Sky?" I thought, confused.

Then a voice echoed, "A Butterfly born of the sea, brother of the rebel princess of Mewni; adventure awaits across every dimension, a wish granted for you, Prince of the Ocean…"

Brother? Rebel princess? A wish? Now I was even more confused than before.

Was I just referred to as "prince of the ocean"?

* * *

"Bro, wake up! Wake up! Today's our big day!"

"Unnnnhhhh… Is it game time yet?"

"No, silly! Today we get our wands! Did you forget or what?"

I then open my eyes to find a girl about my age looking at me with a huge smile on her face. She had blonde hair, was wearing a sky blue dress, and for some reason, there were pink heart-shaped marks on her cheeks.

"Umm… sure. I'll be right there," I said, still a bit groggy from sleep.

"Okay, bro! Mom and I will meet you in the throne room!" the girl said as she left my room.

I got out of my bed and immediately noticed my surroundings.

First of all, I was no longer in my regular room in Stony Creek. Instead, I was in a room that looked like it was meant for royalty.

I went over to my closet, and noticed it was filled with lots of regal-looking outfits. The one I picked was a sky blue colored suit with matching dress pants and shoes.

After changing I made my way to the throne room to meet up with that mysterious girl who called me her brother, receiving greetings from people on the way from people who for some reason called me "Prince Luma".

Once there, I was greeted by another woman wearing a blue dress, white hair, a diamond-shaped crown, and purple diamond cheek marks.

"Hello, son, are you excited about getting your own wand?" she asked me.

Apparently this woman was my mother. Strange.

"Okay, so I must be in some sort of alternate dimension then. I figure I'll just play along until I find out what happened, and go from there," I thought.

"Yeah, sure mom. I know my sister is, for sure. She woke me up early to make sure I'd be ready for today," I replied.

"Yeah, that sounds like Star, alright. She's been excited for months to learn magic."

Just then the doors at the other end of the throne room burst open, and my "sister", now known as Star, came barreling in on the back of what looked like a unicorn, before jumping off in front of us, the unicorn crashing through the wall behind us.

One of the nearby squires then told my "mom", "Queen Moon, looks like everyone's here. The ceremony can now begin, milady."

"Thank you Manfred," she replied before turning to address the gathering in the room.

"As you know, for centuries, the queens of Mewni have been using magic to protect our fine kingdom. Our magic wand is our most treasured family heirloom which is passed down from generation to generation, in order to train future queens in the ways of magic, and to become an excellent ruler of our great kingdom. Today is the day that my daughter, Princess Star Butterfly, is given our royal magic wand, so that she may one day become the next Queen of Mewni."

"However, my son, Prince Luma Butterfly, has also expressed interest in learning magic, and while it is true that princesses are more adept at learning magic, it's not unheard of for young princes to become experienced magic users, like our ancestor Juhstin the Uncalculated long ago. Therefore, the Magic High Commission and I have agreed to give an additional magic wand to our son Luma and let him learn magic like our daughter."

The crowd applauded at Moon's speech.

She then turned to me and Star and said, "Now Star and Luma, these wands are a big responsibility. If they fall into the hands of evil forces, the universe could be destroyed!"

Star simply grinned and said, "Don't worry Mom, I can handle it," then grabbed one of the wands while I was handed the other one.

Star's wand transformed into one with a pink circular base with a gold five pointed star in the center, surrounded by hearts on a night blue background. White wings sprouted from the base, and the handle was pink with a crystal blue heart at the bottom.

Mine, meanwhile, turned into a translucent sapphire blue sphere with a water droplet in its center. Like Star's wand, light blue wings sprout from the base. Unlike Star's wand, however, my wand's wings resembled a hawk, compared to Star's wand whose wings resembled a moth or butterfly. The handle was thin and colored somewhere between blue and purple.

After the ceremony Star went outside to practice with her new magic wand, while I wanted to wait a little bit before I started using magic, for fear of doing something tragic, like flooding the kingdom for instance.

Suddenly a commotion was heard outside, and me and my "parents" looked out of a balcony window to see people running for their lives and most of the village surrounding the castle on fire.

All of us immediately facepalmed.

"She can't handle it."

* * *

"Noooo! I can be good! Please, don't send me to St. Olga's Reform School for Wayward Princesses!"

Me, Star, and the king and queen were currently outside the castle, along with a carriage of some sort. Star was sobbing and holding on to her mother, obviously sorry for what she did, even if it was an accident.

"Sweetheart, we're not sending you there," the king (who I've been told is named River) said.

"Oh."

"...Yet," Moon clarified.

"We're sending you and your brother to train in a safer dimension: a place called Earth," River explained.

"Earth?" Star asked, confused.

"Yeah, I've actually heard a lot about that place," I said. Never mind the fact that I'm originally from there, but whatever.

"Trust me, it'll be a lot of fun," I comforted Star.

"You really think so, bro?"

"Sure! Why not!"

"Manfred, open the portal," River said.

At that, me and Star got into the carriage while Manfred used some sort of portal-cutting scissors to open a portal to Earth.

"Goodbye, Mewni," Star said, as a farewell to her home, while the carriage went through the portal.

* * *

After going through the portal, I immediately noticed something… interesting.

I'm back in Stony Creek?

Sure enough, I recognized my hometown which I'd lived in ever since I can remember. I did think it was odd that I'd awoken this morning in some alternate plane of reality, only to come back here with someone who's apparently my twin sister.

We stopped in front of Stony Creek Middle School, and then, along with the king and queen, stopped by the principal's office to get me and Star enrolled.

Of course, I had been going to school here back in my own timeline, but I'd never actually been called to the principal's office, well except for little things like appointments or whatever. I still got to know him personally, however, because he was one of those people who are actually pretty friendly unless you get on his bad side. To quote one of my favorite games, "this rose has thorns."

"...So, you say you're from another dimension," the principal, named Skeeves, said.

Suddenly the lights flickered on and off, and I turned to see Star playing with the light switch.

"And you said there was no magic on Earth!" Star said.

Skeeves then turned to me and said, "As for you, I can't place my finger on it, but you seem familiar somehow. Have I met you before?"

Great. As if things couldn't get weirder, it seems nobody recognizes me here.

"No, I don't believe so," I replied.

"Well, I think you'll fit in well here. But as for your sister, I don't think this is gonna work."

River then pulled out a chest full of jewels and gold coins. It seems he came prepared for this scenario.

Skeeves instantly changed his mind. "She is gonna love it here!"

Star continued to play with the lights, and River added, "They're going to need a guide."

Truth be told, I already knew my way around here, having lived here for all of my life, but I felt like if I wanted to find out how I got into this weird alternate reality, someone from here would be a big help.

* * *

"Marco Diaz to the principal's office. Marco Diaz to the principal's office," Skeeves called into the intercom.

_"Marco Diaz." That's a name that sounds familiar._

Then it hit me.

In my reality, Marco Diaz was very shy, like me, but he made the honor roll pretty much every year. However, he was also very, _very_ cautious, to the point that people have started to call him the "Safe Kid." I had also heard he had a crush on skateboarder Jackie Lynn Thomas, and that he was occasionally pranked by a girl named Janna Ordania.

Marco soon appeared in the doorway and said, "You wanted to see me, Skeeves?"

This version of Marco seems exactly like the version from my reality. Eventually I'll have to ask someone if there are similarities between alternate realities.

"Marco, I'd like you to meet our new foreign exchange students, Star and Luma Butterfly," Skeeves replied. "I need a responsible, 'never take chances' type to keep an eye on them, especially Star, and who better than you, the 'Safe Kid'!"

Marco instantly retaliated, "What? No, no, no, no! I am completely the wrong guy for this. I'm a misunderstood bad boy!"

"You're adorable!" Skeeves said while pinching Marco's cheek. "Well, I'm off to the ice cream shop!" he added, leaving with his chest of gold in tow. "Daddy's getting all 52 flavors!"

Later, me and Star were walking around the school with Marco.

"Thanks for showing me around, Safe Kid!" Star said to Marco.

"Yeah, I guess it wouldn't hurt to make some new friends," I added. _Never mind the fact that I'd have to start at square one again._

"What? No, look, whatever you've heard about me isn't true," Marco defended. "I don't know where people get the idea I'm so safe! Oh, watch your step, loose tile," he pointed out.

"Maybe that's why," I deadpanned.

"It's ridiculous!" Marco said, then closed a nearby locker that had been left open. "You wear a helmet in the gym shower one time, and you're labeled for life!"

"Wait, really? Don't you think that's a little too extreme?" I asked Marco.

"Those floors are slippier than you think!" he retorted, then added, "Careful, broken glass."

"Can't argue with you there, but c'mon, really?"

"Well, frankly I like taking risks, and would welcome a little danger in my life!"

Star gasped, and I said to her, "Well sis, are you thinking what I'm thinking?"

Star nodded, and pulled out her wand while I did the same. Star pointed her wand at a nearby butterfly while I pointed mine at a book someone had dropped in the hallway.

Star turned the butterfly into a weird moth monster which grabbed and carried a random student away, almost running into Marco, while I used my own magic to turn the book into… a raging thunderstorm? _Oh crap, that was supposed to be a light rainstorm, with a rainbow!_

"What the heck was that?" Marco asked, scared.

"...Oops. Heh heh. Me and my brother thought you wanted a little danger!" Star replied, still excited.

"And frankly that was a bad showing on my part. I only got this today," I added, referring to my wand.

"...Who… are you two?" Marco asked us, still a bit freaked out.

Both me and Star raised our wands, and Star's wand made a rainbow while mine made a trail of snowflakes.

"We're magical twins…"

"A prince…"

"And a princess…"

"From another dimension!"

Star's rainbow immediately caught on fire, as did my snowflakes. _How in the world does that even work like that?_

Marco, now thoroughly terrified, said, "Well, that brings us to the end of our tour! I'm… gonna head home now!" and then started to run off.

"Bye, new friend! See you tomorrow! Bye! Bye, new friend! See you later!" Star called to Marco while waving goodbye.

"Well, that was fun, sis," I said to Star.

"Yeah, it was! I can't wait for what's next!" she replied.

"Hey, I know where we're gonna stay while we're here. I heard the Diaz family had a really nice house, wanna check it out?"

"Sure, bro! Race ya!" Star said, then ran off.

"Okay, sis!" I followed her.

We ran towards the Diaz residence, laughing all the way, as me and Star prepared ourselves for the amazing times we'll have with our new friend Marco.

* * *

At the Diaz residence, me and Star were hanging out with Marco's parents, Rafael and Angie Diaz.

"It's so nice of you to let us live here while we're here on Earth," I said.

"It's not a problem, we've had lots of different exchange students, but none like you two!" Angie said.

"Yeah, I have a feeling that things will be pretty crazy now that we're here, but you seem like you can handle it."

"Oh, for sure! We love your enthusiasm!" Rafael said.

"Thanks, guy," I replied. "I think Earth is a pretty great place, how about you Star?"

"Definitely! I already love it here!" Star replied.

"That's nice to hear, Star."

Marco then walked in the door, and then, for some reason, looked surprised to see me and Star here.

"Oh, Marco! Come meet the new foreign exchange students who are gonna be living with us!" Angie said.

"What? I had no idea these were your parents! I just assumed that everyone on Earth had the last name Diaz!" Star told Marco.

"Wouldn't it be nice to have Star and Luma's upbeat, lively energy around the house?" Angie asked.

"We could've gotten that from a litter of puppies," Marco replied.

Star suddenly gasped. "I… love puppies!"

"Tell me something I don't know," I said sarcastically.

Star then used her magic to create a litter of puppies.

"Okay, I will admit, they're pretty cute," I said.

The puppies then began to randomly shoot lasers from their eyes. One of them shot right through Marco's face in a nearby photo.

Star looked at Marco and nervously chuckled.

"Well, they're still very cute," Rafael said, picking up one of the puppies, which shoots him in the eye. "Ah, my eye!"

"Marco, why don't you show Star and Luma their new room?" Angie asked.

"Yay!" Star exclaimed, and ran upstairs while me and Marco dragged our luggage upstairs after her.

* * *

…"Here's your new room," Marco said.

The guest room didn't look too roomy, at least not for two people.

"Hmm… I can work with this," Star said. "Sparkle Glitter Bomb Expand!"

Star's spell turned the guest room into a two-story tower that resembled Butterfly Castle back on Mewni. Star's room was be on the bottom floor, while mine was the top balcony floor.

Marco was clearly amazed at Star's magic. "Whoa… I wish I had a room like this."

"...Huh? You do?" Star said.

Me and Star ran to Marco's room, and Star said to me, "Come on bro, give his room a complete makeover!"

"Okay, sis. Mystic Room Suck Transform!"

Unfortunately, my spell didn't have the desired effect. Instead of transforming Marco's room to be like mine, it created a black hole in the middle of the room, which started sucking up everything in it.

It took all three of us to get Marco's door closed to prevent us from getting sucked in too.

"Suck? Suck? Why was the word 'suck' in that spell?" Marco asked me angrly.

"I don't know, I really though it would work!" I said.

Marco continued to grumble and facepalm.

"I'm really sorry, Marco. How about a little sunshine to brighten your day?" I said while using my wand to summon a miniature sun, which almost immediately turned into a blowing snowstorm.

"Okay, now my snow spell works right. Seriously, what gives?"

"I can't take this anymore! If you two are moving in, I am moving out!" Marco said, then jumped out of a nearby window.

I could then hear him groaning in pain, so me and Star looked out the window to see Marco in a pile of cactuses.

"Are you okay, Marco?" Star asked.

"Yeah, that sounded like a nasty fall," I added.

"Luckily, the cactuses broke my fall," Marco replied.

"Do you need any help?" Star asked.

"Ow… I'm fine, just leave me alone!" Marco said, running off.

"Oh, Star… I really messed up, didn't I?" I asked.

"Don't worry bro, it wasn't your fault," Star replied. "And besides, at least you're not the only one to mess up that bad."

"Yeah, that's true, I guess. So you wanna go find him and apologize?"

"Sure, bro."

* * *

We ended up running into Marco at a nearby convenience store named County Fair, which I would go to quite often in my own dimension.

"Hey, Marco," I said.

"Wha? Woah, what are you doing here?" Marco replied.

I made the snowstorm disappear with my wand, and then said, "Look, I'm sorry Marco. Me and Star really didn't have a choice to be sent here to Earth, and you didn't have a choice about us, either. So, me and Star talked it over, and we decided to find another family to live with."

Star nodded in agreement.

"It's fine, guys. You don't have to do that," Marco replied, but then gasped at something behind us.

"Ummm… Staaarrr? Luuumaaa?"

"What, Marco?" I said and turned around with Star.

An army of monsters and other creatures were standing nearby, and they did not look friendly. Their leader appeared to be a short bird-like creature with a skull of some sort on his head.

"Star and Luma Butterfly! At last, I've found you!" he said.

"Ludo? How did you know we were here?" Star asked.

Ludo chuckled in response. "Wouldn't you like to know?"

"Well, that's why she asked," I replied.

"Well, Buff Frog…" he paused. "Hey! I don't have to tell you anything! GET THEM!"

At his command, his army attacked us, and right away me and Star retaliated. Marco then jumped into the middle of the fight and attacked a monster with three eyes with a karate chop and kick.

"Wait, you can fight?" Star asked.

"It's called karate!" Marco replied, and then attacked a different monster with a few punches.

Star began fighting a deer-horned monster and swiftly gives him a kick in the stomach. I ended up fighting a monster with a spike ball for one of his hands. I kicked him in the gut and then sucker punched him repeatedly.

"You said they were _unguarded_!" Ludo told Buff Frog, who shrugged.

Star then began to attack a giraffe monster, and began to use her magic.

"Rainbow Fist Punch!" Star's spell hit the giraffe monster through a parked car. I opened the car door and then brought out my own wand.

"Freezing Ice Beam!" My spell hit the giraffe's head, encasing it in ice.

As the fight continued, it was clear me, Star, and Marco had the upper hand. Star blasted Buff Frog with another Rainbow Fist Punch into a street light.

"You're embarrassing me! Get up!" Ludo yelled at him.

Buff Frog then ripped the street light from its base and began using it as a club.

Star then used a different spell on him, "Jelly Bean Hallucination Mist!"

Buff Frog started spacing out, obviously affected by Star's spell.

Meanwhile, I ended up getting double teamed by two of the monsters. I fended off one of them with another spell, "Wild Fairy Wind!" that blew away one of them with a thick pink and yellow mist. The other one got chopped by Marco, who regrouped with me and Star.

Star and I prepared our respective finishing moves, cornering the small monster army.

"Mega Narwhal Blast!"

"Spinning Aqua Cannon!"

Our spells combined to blast Ludo and all of his monsters with a powerful attack of narwhals and high-pressure water.

"...You still want some of this?" Star taunted Ludo.

"Yeah… Ludo!" I added.

Ludo then made a portal with his dimensional scissors, and then addressed his minions, "You see, you morons! This is what happens when you don't work out! Your muscles are like pudding! Come on, back in the portal! Back in the portal!"

His monsters, clearly in pain, went through one by one; the last one through was Buff Frog, who was still hallucinating.

"See? You even retreat like losers!"

Ludo then addressed me and Star. "I'll get you, Star and Luma Butterf-"

The portal closed around his neck, choking him, before he pulled himself out and through the portal. His skull helmet was left behind.

I picked up the helmet and showed it to Star. "Hey, sis, wouldn't this look really cool on you?"

"Nah, it would look a lot better on you," Star replied.

"Okay, maybe you're right," I said and then put the helmet on.

"See? You look great!"

"Thanks, sis."

"Oh my god! That was amazing! I was amazing! You were amazing!" Marco exclaimed.

"Yeah, I guess we were," Star said.

"So, I guess we better find a new place to live," I said to Star.

Star nodded in agreement, and we started to leave.

"Wait! Don't go! I want you two to stay with me," Marco stopped us.

"Really?" Star asked.

"Yep!"

"Hugs!" me and Star said, as we hugged Marco.

"So, wanna head home, then?" I asked Marco.

"Sure, Luma," Marco replied. "Hey, are there gonna be monsters attacking us all the time?"

"Yeah, probably," Star said.

"All right! Sounds so dangerous!"

Marco then stopped us at the street.

"Whoa! Let's cross at the light, guys."

"Whatever you say, 'Safe Kid'," I said.

Star and I then shot fireworks from our wands as we walked home. Star's resembled a narwhal, while mine looked more like a crystal. The blasts circled around the full moon, which looked like it was colored ever so slightly red.


	2. Party with a Pony

A few days had passed since me and Star moved in with our new best friend Marco. Right now me and Star were watching the Stanley Cup Playoffs; the Islanders were poised to sweep my Penguins, but it was still fun to watch, that and the Vegas Golden Knights were playing at home after this game.

"So, Star, basically, what hockey is, is two teams skate on ice and try to get that black thing into the other team's goal. Whoever scores the most goals wins," I explained.

"Oh, cool! It's kinda like cornball back on Mewni… except much less violent."

"Well…"

Right on cue, a Penguins player began to throw punches onto a nearby Islanders player, while players on both teams and the referees tried to separate them.

"...Sometimes things like _that_ happen, and sometimes it's a lot worse," I continued.

"Oh, I see what you mean bro. On Mewni, cornball tournaments can get very heated. I'm pretty sure someone got killed in last year's finals."

"Remind me never to go to a cornball tournament," I said nervously.

"Noted."

The game cut to commercials, and then Marco came out of the kitchen.

"All right guys, feast your eyes on this!" he said, showing off a plate of nachos.

Star, clearly amazed, sang out loud, "_Marco's Super Awesome Nachos!_" She then took one and said, "Ooh, triangle food!"

There was then a knock at the front door.

"Marco, are you expecting anyone?" I asked.

Marco answered the door, but there appeared to be nobody there. He looked around, but then screamed and fell in surprise.

"What's up, home fries!" someone called from the door.

Star was pleased to see whoever was there.

"Oh my gosh! Flying Princess Pony Head!" Star called out, walking outside, while I followed her.

"Oh, hello, B-Fly!" Pony Head greeted Star, while she hugged her.

"Oh, right, I don't think you've met my brother Luma. He usually just sits in the castle playing video games or something so he doesn't go out much," Star explained.

"Guilty as charged," I admitted. It's true; if I ever stayed in this dimension and became king of Mewni, my title would, without a doubt, be "Luma the Lazy".

"I think I maybe saw you once, at the Silver Bell Ball when we were younger, but I don't think we really talked at all," Pony Head explained. "Either way, it's nice meeting you, Luma."

"Likewise."

"Anyways, are you guys ready to make some baa-aad choices?" Pony Head asked.

"Sure, let me just wake up Marco," Star said.

"Oh, that is not a dead person?"

Marco groaned in pain, "Nope, not dead."

"Pony Head, meet our best friend Marco Diaz!" Star exclaimed.

"Your best friend?" Pony Head asked confused.

"Huh? Oh, no, no, on Earth! You're my best friend on Mewni!" Star clarified.

"I don't think that's how it works," I thought aloud.

"I hate your face, and you're ugly!" Pony Head said to Marco in a friendly tone, then laughed. "Just kidding, that's a joke. Tick tock, girl! Let's party!"

"Yeah, guys! Let's party!" Star said.

"I could party," I said.

_"Turnover in the neutral zone, Stahl with a breakaway! Shoots! **Scooorrresss!**"_ I heard from the TV still playing the hockey game.

"Yeah, definitely need a party right now," I added.

"Party? With her? Umm… okay, but I was gonna… I was gonna…" Marco said nervously.

Star then gave Marco a puppy dog face, and then Marco gave in, "I… Ugh, alright."

"Hooray! My two besties and my awesome brother are all gonna be besties!" Star said excitedly.

"Sweet!" Pony Head said. "Let's go!"

Pony Head then stuck out her tongue revealing a pair of dimensional scissors on it.

"Ah! Dimensional scissors? Jealous!" Star said, as Pony Head opened a portal.

"Wait, we're going to another dimension?" Marco asked nervously.

"Yeah, sure, why not! Come on Marco! Live a little!" I said, dragging him through the portal.

* * *

Once we were through the portal, we started falling, and then landed on a cloud, but Marco ended up missing the cloud and hit the floor next to it. Dance music was playing loudly.

"Huh? Where are we?" Marco asked.

"The Bounce Lounge! My favorite place to chill! Just stay away from the edge," Star explained.

"Noted," I said.

Star then squealed, "Luma! Marco! Photo booth! Photo booth! Come on!"

She then pushed me, Marco, and Pony into the photo booth, and then joined us, taking pictures with the captions, "Yay, good times!", "Happy Besties!", "Get out of TOWN!", "I ♥ Friends", and "Stylez 4 Milez".

"Whoo! Now... just you two!" Star addressed Marco and Pony Head. "A souvenir from the night my besties became besties. Yay!"

Me and Star left the booth, and Star went to go dancing while I sat down at a nearby table and started watching YouTube videos on my phone.

* * *

"Hey, B-Flies! Look at this! Whee-ooo!" Pony Head called out.

I looked up from my phone to see Star and Marco twirling quickly and Pony Head riding a nearby patron like a horse.

_Oh, the irony._

I then recognized the music playing. "Hey, my favorite song's on! Might as well go join them!" I said to myself, and began to dance along with Star and Marco.

"Star! Pony Head tried to-" Marco began, but was pushed by Pony Head and almost fell off the edge.

"Careful, Marco," I said pulling him away.

"Pony Head just tried to shove me off this cloud!" Marco said.

"Oh, no! She just gets a little wild when she dances," Star explained.

Pony Head is seen still riding someone like a horse. "Oh, yes! Oh, you like that! You know you do! You love it!"

"Well, Calvin Harris makes good music, but I can't say I like him that much," I said.

"She also tried to skewer me in the photo booth!" Marco continued.

"Yeah…" Star said. "She can be a little possessive."

She then called out to Pony Head, "Hey, let's go to the Amethyst Arcade! Marco and Luma will have more fun there!"

"Ooh, now you're speaking my language, Star! I wonder if they have Sugar Rush Speedway," I replied.

"No! Way! Girl! I'm! Getting! My! Dance! On!" Pony said, still on the back of the random dancer.

She then noticed something nearby; whatever it was, I couldn't see it. She then changed her mind, as if she was running from something.

"Yes, you are right, Star. They will like the arcade better. Let's go!" she said, opening a portal.

"She's warming up to you!" Star teased as we went through the portal, to the Amethyst Arcade.

* * *

"Holy pixels! So many video games!"

Both Marco and I were currently awestruck at the sheer amount of arcade machines and other gadgets at the Amethyst Arcade.

"Yes, I knew you two would like it here. This place is full of squares," Pony Head told us.

Indeed, the arcade had _literal_ squares at various machines, who promptly groaned in unison like they were bored or something.

"Ooh, look! _Lance Lance Revolution_! That's perfect! Marco and Pony, go play while me and Luma go check this place out! C'mon, bro!" Star said.

"That's fine, sis. I'll head off by myself. I wanna see if they have a fun racing game here," I replied.

"Okay then, see you soon, bro!" Star said and then went off with Pony Head and Marco.

As I walked around the arcade, I didn't see any games I really liked… let alone _recognized_… but this place was huge, so I kept looking.

However that didn't last long, as I came across several _Sugar Race Speedway_ machines, and so I decided to go play a few rounds.

Playing initially as Candlehead, I ended up doing better than I thought I was, despite the fact that Vanellope's teleporting ability was a bit too OP. I actually got first place several different times.

Suddenly, I was tapped on the shoulder by someone behind me.

"You, there! Kid with the staff!"

"Hey, if you wanna play, go ahead. I've been here for like half an hour and-"

I turned around to find three of some kind of masked robot things standing there. One of them held up a photo of Pony Head.

"Have you seen this head?"

I had no idea why these guys were looking for Pony Head, but they didn't exactly seem… _friendly_, so I decided to play dumb.

"_Seriously_? Is that a Photoshopped picture of a disembodied horse head? Has the Internet really gone that far?" I said in fake shock.

"Hey! Don't you lie to us!" one of the masked men yelled.

Marco then walked up to us and asked me, "Hey, have you seen Star and Pony Head? I can't find them anywhere."

I mentally facepalmed. "Really, Marco?"

Marco then noticed the three masked men standard by me.

"Oh, boy."

* * *

Later, me and Marco were tied onto chairs being interrogated by the masked men, who kept asking us where Pony Head was.

One of them shined a lamp on us and asked, "For the last time, where is she?"

"I'm telling you, I don't know!" Marco responded.

"Yeah, I haven't seen her either!" I added.

"Not talking, eh? What if I do this?" the man said, then started flickering the lamp light.

"Stop! That's really annoying!" Marco said.

Suddenly Star and Pony Head appeared from a portal.

"There they are!" Star said, then noticed me and Marco were trapped, so she readied her wand.

"Crystal Dagger-"

"Wait, B-Fly!" Pony Head interrupted. "It's too dangerous, girl! ...Hold out your hand!"

Star did, and Pony Head gave her the dimensional scissors.

"Your dimensional scissors?" Star asked.

"I won't need 'em where I'm going," Pony Head replied, then turned to me and Marco.

"But, Pony Head-" Star said.

"Oh, hey, creeps!" Pony Head addressed the masked men. "I heard you're looking to ride with a pony, so come and get me!"

She then started to fly around the arcade, whynning and laughing, while the masked men chased after her.

Meanwhile Marco managed to free one of his arms.

Star said, "Stand back, Marco."

"No! It's okay! My hand is free!" Marco told Star.

"Shiny Emerald Snake Strike!"

Star turned the ropes into snakes, which unraveled, freeing me and Marco.

"Hey, Star, I left my wand at the racing game, you and Marco go after Pony while I go get it, okay? Byeeee!" I said running off.

Thankfully my wand was still there, so I grabbed it and ran to the back of the arcade, following the sound of Pony Head's whinnying.

Eventually I caught up with her, and she said, "Whoo-hoo! I feel so alive!" before nearly getting caught by the masked men. She proceeded to charge up magic in her horn and blasted a chandelier, which caused them to run away. Pony Head flew off laughing, only to hit a nearby wall, and me, Star, and Marco all shielded her from the masked men.

"Back off, creeps!" Star said.

"These punks are going down!" I added.

"Don't worry, Pony Head. We've got your back… of your head!" Marco said.

Pony Head got up and prepared to fight back, but then a voice was heard saying, "Time to give it up, cupcake."

"Is that... King Pony Head?" Star wondered.

Sure enough, King Pony Head appeared from behind the masked men.

"Hello, Daddy," Pony Head greeted.

"Hello, princess," King Pony Head replied.

"What is he doing here?" Star asked Pony Head.

"Oh, B-Fly, it's the end of the line for me. But at least I got in one last night of fun with you, girl!" Pony Head replied.

"What do you mean, 'one last night'?" I asked.

"One last night before… I go to St. O's!" Pony Head said.

Star gasped. "Not St. Olga's Reform School for Wayward Princesses!"

"Oh, it's true. I did it to myself. I'm headed to the slammer."

"It's reform school, cupcake, not jail. Although admittedly it is a lot like jail," King Pony Head told her daughter.

"Oh, Pony Head! You knew you'd get sent to St. Olga's, but you still came back to save Marco and Luma!" Star said.

"Oh, well, you know... It's hard to say it, but they are your other besties. Okay, I said it," Pony Head replied.

"Oh, come here! Hugs!" me and Star said, hugging Pony Head. Star then pulled Marco into the hug.

"All right, princess. Time to go!" one of the masked men said, then proceeded to muzzle Pony Head.

"Bye, Pony! I'm gonna miss you!" Star called out.

"Me too!" I added.

"Hey, Pony Head? Good luck in princess jail," Marco said.

"Aww, thanks, Marco. But don't worry about me! No jail can hold on to me for long! Whoo-hoo-hoo-hoo!" Pony Head said as she was dragged through a portal.

King Pony Head sighed, "Kids... You have 'em, and then you wish they weren't around."

He then went through the portal, which closed behind him.

"Yay! My besties are besties!" Star said.

"Yeah... I wouldn't go that far," Marco said.

"Well, at least we had fun today. I don't think I've had a more fun time in my life!" I said.

"That's the spirit, bro!" Star replied.

"Hey! We're stuck in another dimension!" Marco realized.

"Oh, no, we're not!" Star said, then held out Pony's dimensional scissors.

"Woah!" Marco said.

"Cool!" I added.

"Now we can go anywhere we want. Anywhere in the entire universe!" Star said.

"I know just the place," Marco said.

* * *

The three of us were sitting on Marco's couch eating nacos, watching the Vegas Golden Knights and San Jose Sharks.

_"Pass to Anderson, backhander! Saved! Rebound! **Shoots! Scorrressss!**"_

"Nothing could ever beat this day, ever!"

"Well said, bro!"


	3. Grumpy Old Troll

Star, Marco and I were walking down the hallways of Stony Creek Middle School.

"I like red, I like hoodies, so I bought a dozen of them," Marco explained.

"Makes sense, I guess," I said.

"Hey! It's those magic kids!" someone called out. People kept waving at us, including the janitor and several teachers.

"Hi, new friends! Hi!" Star waved back.

"Nice to meet you all!" I added.

"Everyone's so cool here, Marco!" Star said. "It makes me wish my parents had tossed me out of the castle years ago!"

"Honestly, I can agree, sis! I've met so many cool people since coming here!"

"Oh, you haven't even met the coolest guys," Marco said, then pointed them out. "Ferguson and Alfonzo!" he introduced.

They were standing a few feet away, while a girl about our age walked by. Ferguson was trying the old "stomach mouth" bit, but it was failing miserably.

"Hey, hey, are those books? Where are you going with those books? Do you like to read?" Ferguson asked, only to be slapped in his face - and his stomach face.

"Oh, dear," Alfonzo deadpanned.

Marco facepalmed. "They're usually cooler."

Star got an idea. "I need to fix Ferguson up."

Marco replied simply, "No."

Just then, a girl on a skateboard rolled by, doing a kick flip at one point. She had a white t-shirt with teal sleeves, a seashell necklace, jean shorts, and light blonde hair with cyan highlights.

Admittedly, she was pretty attractive, however, I really didn't want to make a move yet, as one, I was extremely shy around people I don't know well (Star once compared me to her distant relative Celena the Shy), and two, Marco seemed smitten by her as well, and I didn't want to take her from him if I did end up talking to her.

So much, in fact, that he appeared to have hearts in his eyes as he watched her.

"Jackie Lynn Thomas!" Marco fawned, as she approached us.

"Hi, Star and Luma Butterfly!" Jackie greeted.

"Hi, Jackie!" Star replied.

"Hey there!" I added. _A guy can dream, can't he?_

Star suddenly gasped. "I need to fix _you_ up, Marco!"

"What?"

"Oh, come on, I'm almost as good at matchmaking as I am with magic!"

Star then accidentally blasted Marco's face, causing it to become completely burnt.

"This isn't gonna end well, is it?" I said.

* * *

As much as I like math, I could really do without our teacher, Ms. Skullnick. She wasn't exactly mean per se, but she did tend to have a nasty attitude, and I have no idea why.

She was passing out the results of a test from a few days ago, slamming one on Star's desk.

"As you can see, class, most of you have done a pathetic job," she said.

"Not me! I got an F for fantastic!" Star said.

"Not even close. It's an F for fail," I explained.

"Huh?"

"Look, I'm aware this kind of thing doesn't exist on Mewni, but-"

"Well bro, what grade did you get?"

I checked my test paper. "Oh, just an A+ with a nice little smiley face. The best grade you can get!"

"Ooh... I want the best one too!" Star said.

"Well, you'd need to-" I started explaining, but Star ignored me and walked up to Skullnick and started talking with her about changing her grade.

"You're whining about a lousy grade? I finally got a guy with a boat, and he left me at the dock! I guess I'm doomed to dry land..." Skullnick said.

"I got it! I'll cast a spell to get you the perfect guy, and you can give me the perfect grade!" Star said.

"Star, that's not how it works-" I tried to say.

"Man Magnet Love Storm!"

Star's spell wound up turning Skullnick into a troll.

No, not "ugly-looking woman" troll.

An actual troll.

"Star, what did you do?" I asked.

"I think… I turned her into a troll," Star replied.

The other students were speechless; some even had their mouths wide open in shock.

But then one student yelled, "Star Butterfly rules!" and the class started cheering.

Skullnick looked in her portable mirror to confirm she was, in fact, a troll.

"Aahhhh! I'm hideous!"

"Star, change her back!" I said.

"I don't know how to!" Star replied.

"Okay, I'll think of something then!" I said, pulling out my own wand. "Lightning Change Back!"

* * *

We suddenly appeared at our house.

"Huh? Where are we?" Star asked.

"I think I zapped us home," I replied.

"Ohhhh… I wish I knew how you did that. It could really come in handy if I don't feel like using my legs!"

"Yeah, that would come in handy for sure… Wait, where's Marco?"

"Probably still in school, I bet."

"Yeah."

A few moments passed, then I said, "So, are we gonna fix this, or what?"

* * *

Skullnick was sitting in a chair in our room, bawling her eyes out while Star comforted her. Marco has since come home from school and was shocked to hear about what happened.

"Oh, please don't cry, Ms. Skullnick," Star said.

"Star, we can't keep stalling. You're gonna have to call your mom. She'll know how to reverse the spell," Marco said.

"No! I can't ask for help! If my parents find out about this, they're gonna send me to St. Olga's Reform School for Wayward Princesses!" Star whailed. "It's a terrible, horrible place, and no one who goes there ever comes out the same!"

Star screamed loudly at the thought of being sent there.

"Marco's right, Star. Look, you just need to get the information you need, without letting her know all of the details. What she doesn't know won't kill her, and there will be none the wiser," I explained.

"Well, Mom is very wise… Okay, I'll try," Star replied.

She pulled back a curtain on her wall, revealing a mirror of some sort.

"Mirror, Mirror, Call Mom."

_Okay, obvious Sleeping Beauty ripoff. Or was it Snow White?_

"Calling Tom…"

"Wait, wait, wait!"

Tom appeared on the mirror's screen. "Hi, Star!"

"No, no, no!" Star said, trying to hang up.

"Well, you're here, I'm here-" Tom said.

"I said call _Mom_, not Tom," Star said.

"No, wait, Star! Don't hang up!" Tom said, but Star hung up anyways.

"Ugh… I really gotta delete him off my mirror," Star said annoyed.

"This is why I don't use Siri. At all," I said.

Moon then appeared on Star's mirror. "Oh, Star and Luma, what a pleasant surprise!"

"So, Mom… let's just say that someone accidentally turned someone else into a troll with the wand. Not that I would do that, because that would be completely irresponsible, but what should that person do?" Star said nervously.

"Nice one, Star," I said.

Just then I heard a loud crash and screaming in the distance.

"Star, what is going on?" Moon asked.

"Gotta go Mom, bye!" Star said, hanging up and closing tbe mirror's curtain.

"What happened, Marco?" I asked.

"She jumped out the window!" Marco replied.

* * *

Marco chased Skullnick out to the backyard and managed to tackle her.

"Wow! Good job, Marco!" Star said.

"Wow, Good job, Marco!" a voice mocked from nearby.

We turned to find Ludo and his monster army once again.

"Ludo! What are you doing here?" Star asked.

"Catching you at your most distracted!" Ludo replied.

"Well, I don't know about you, Star, but I've been way more distracted than this," I said. Star nodded in agreement.

"I don't know, you seem pretty distracted to me," Ludo said.

"Nah, not really," Star said.

"Oh, well... What's that over there?" Ludo pointed at something in the other direction.

"What, where?"

"GET THEM!"

At that, me, Star, and Marco began to lead the monsters on a brief chase, knocking over Skullnick in the process. Me and Star readied our wands.

"Dagger Crystal Heart Attack!"

Star's wand shot red heart-shaped crystals at the monsters.

"Yeah, that's right! Feel the love!" I taunted.

Marco faced off against three nearby monsters. "I'm obligated to warn you, I'm a green belt, with a stripe!" He then picked up a rake and began using it as a club. A chicken monster started pecking Marco before he kicked him away, only for another monster to stare him down and crack his nuckles.

Buff Frog started to throw punches at me, but I easily dodged, and wound up biting his arm. Just to add salt to the wound…

"Razor Leaf Blast!"

Hundreds of sharp leaves were hurled torward Buff Frog, knocking him down and cutting him in some spots.

Star noticed one of the monsters had Marco in a headlock, so Star fired another spell at him, "Rainbow Bast!" which knocked him away, directly into Skullnick.

However, the two began talking to each other, and seemed to be hitting it off.

"Narwhal Blast! Narwhal Blast!" Star continued fighting, then noticed Skullnick and started giggling cutely.

"Awww… Narwhal Blast…" she said, the spell hitting an approaching monster without even looking.

"Aww, Star! They look so cute together!" I added, also hitting a nearby monster with water from my wand, without looking.

Marco wound up getting cornered and surrounded, all while Skullnick was admiring the monster from before.

"Hey there Marco! Would you mind covering for me for a bit? Yeah? Cool, thanks!" I said.

"Wait, what?"

All of the monsters then pounced on Marco.

"Hey, Ms. Skullnick! See that monster over there?" Star pointed out the monster she talked to earlier, who was now holding Marco above his head and preparing to slam him on the ground.

"He thinks you're cute!"

"Really? What should I do?" Skullnick asked.

"Wait right here," Star replied.

"Hey there, guy!" I called to the monster. "See that troll over there?"

He began running excitedly towards Skullnick.

"Guys! Little help please!" Marco called out.

"Hey, guys!" Star called.

"Forgetting something?" I added as me and Star held up our wands.

"Huh?" the monster army said confused.

"Get the wands!" Ludo ordered his army.

"Turbo Nuclear Butterfly Blast!" Star yelled, as she prepared a powerful spell.

"Hyper Frost Cannon!" I called out with a spell just as powerful.

A _really_ loud explosion was set off by our spells, as yellow and teal light covered the area along with multiple butterflies and ice crystals.

After it was over, the yard was in shambles, like a tornado had torn through it. Several lingering fires from Star's spell and ice shards from my spell littered the yard.

"Whoa-ho-ho-ho!" Star said, clearly suprised at what we did.

"That was awesome! Who else saw that?" I asked nobody in particular.

Ludo was shaking a nearby monster who was out cold. "Get up! Get up!"

"Told you we weren't distract-" I said.

"Wait, did we just kill that guy?" Star interrupted.

"No, he's not dead. He's probably just bleeding internally and being a total baby about it! Stupid wuss!" Ludo replied, kicking him in the head.

He opened a portal and called out to his army, "Get up, you dipsticks!"

Ludo and his monsters began to get up and limp through the portal, except for the one still with Skullnick.

"So... now that I hooked you up, how about that A?" Star asked.

"Honey, please! I'd give you an A+ if I was still a teacher. I'm setting sail with Captain Triceps here!" Skullnick replied.

"What about my A?"

"Try studying."

"Wah-wahhh," Marco mimicked a trombone.

* * *

"So anyway, long story short, Skullnick ran off with this weird man-bull guy thing to another dimension, and now she is gone forever," Star explained to the class the next day.

"Star Butterfly rules!" someone called out. The class cheered at that.

"Wow, Star, that is so rad, girl!" Jackie said.

"Thanks, but actually, it's Marco Diaz who deserves all the credit," Star replied.

Rolling with it, I added, "When you see him, tell him he's really cool for doing that."

"Will do, Luma!"

Suddenly a portal opened above Skullnick's desk, and she fell out, smashing it.

"Ms. Skullnick? What are you doing here?" I asked.

"He dumped me, I think. I don't know, I couldn't understand a word he was saying!" Skullnick replied.

"Welcome back, Skullzers," Star said.

"Get ready for the worst pop quiz of your lives!" Skullnick said.

"Hey, Jackie, I still think Marco's cool. You should've seen his moves last night. Totally rad, girl," I said.

"Really? I'll tell him you said that. You're pretty rad yourself, you know that?"

"Sure, whatever, dude."

"Aww, look at you two! You're so cute together!" Star said to me.

"Sure, Star. But I think Marco deserves her more than me," I replied.

"Well, that means I'm even better at matchmaking than I am with magic!"

Star then blasted me with her wand by accident, giving my head colorful moth wings and antennae, one of which was on fire. Star tried to blow out said flame, but I simply used my own wand to fire a light stream of water to put it out.

* * *

"I know I'm making the right choice for myself, and for my friendship with Marco…"

I looked up at my phone, which had a picture of Jackie on it.

"...But I still can't help my feelings for you..."

I turned off my phone's screen.

"...Jackie Lynn Thomas..."

Outside, the moon became colored slightly red, as night fell over Stony Creek.


	4. Basketball Nightmare

At the Stony Creek Middle gym, a pep rally was being held, and most of the students in attendance were cheering in support of their sports teams.

I, meanwhile, found out that a fan of me and Star created a Discord fan chat named "Star and Luma vs the Forces of Discord" shortly after our arrival on Earth. The people gathered there went bonkers that I had actually joined their group, especially someone named "LumaFan15" who really couldn't contain himself to the point that the moderators - Stretchy, Evets, and Geechan - had to step in and calm him down.

Currently I was on my phone, chatting with the members of the group.

_TheRealPrinceLuma: At a school pep rally rn_  
_MCPLLemon: Neat_  
_TraumatizedTrainspotter: Hey heard about ur crush on Jackie, I support you all the way_  
_TheRealPrinceLuma: thanks man_  
_narwhal_nightmare: stony creek better win tonight_  
_TraumatizedTrainspotter: ofc_  
_Evets: windber's pretty good, idk_  
_TheRealPrinceLuma: yeah, anyways g2g it's starting now  
_ _StarryEyedButterfly: k cya soon_

"Oh, my gosh! I can't wait, I can't wait!" I heard Star yell next to me. "My very first pep rally! I am so excited!"

"When are you not excited, sis?" I replied, putting my phone away.

"And now, Brittney Wong, who became head cheerleader on her own, and not because her dad made a generous donation to the school!" Skeeves addressed the crowd.

The cheerleaders walked up to the podium.

"Go, Stony Creek! Let's try not to get beat! Go, Stony Creek! Let's try not to get beat! Go! Go! Go! Go! Yeah!"

Brittney then addressed the crowd, "Make some noise if you love the Awesome Opossums!"

Star yelled, "Oh, I love opossums! They carry their babies on their backs!"

"You know she's talking about our basketball team, right? We're going up against the Warriors," Marco explained, then shuddered in a mixture of fear and doubt.

"Warriors?" Star asked.

"Our rivals from Windber," I explained. "Every year we get absolutely crushed by them."

"It's gonna be a bloodbath," Skullnick added, pulling a _whole chicken skeleton _out of her mouth.

"That's terrible! We must do something!" Star said.

"Well, you could join the Spirit Committee. Those kids are relentless when it comes to supporting the team," Marco explained.

A guy near the podium holding small flags with opossum designs did the splits while yelling "Opossums!"

"Relentless," Marco repeated.

"What a great idea! We better pick up some supplies!" Star said.

"As fun as that sounds, you can go without me," Marco said.

"Yeah, and I have a meeting with the Butterfly Fan Club, so I'll catch up with you guys," I said.

"Okay, bro! See you at home!"

"Hugs!"

* * *

The Butterfly Fan Club of Stony Creek actually predates me and Star's arrival on Earth. As one would expect, the club was originally formed for the appreciation of butterflies (the animal), but not even a day after our arrival, most members of the original club became big fans of the Butterflies (the kingdom) and reformed the club to what it is today. Of course, it was easy for me to join, as I'm _the _Prince Luma Butterfly, and thus could easily relay news regarding the Butterflies or Mewni in general. Plus, as a prince, I felt that it would be a great opportunity to practice formal speaking - something Star was _never_ fond of.

The current president ("queen") of the Butterfly Fan Club, Sherry McAuthur, addressed the gathering.

"I hereby call this meeting of the Butterfly Fan Club to order. Please welcome, Prince Luma Butterfly!"

As the group applauded, I approached the podium and bowed.

"Okay, everyone, first order of business, the latest news from the Butterfly Kingdom. Luma, take the floor."

"Thank you, Sherry," I began. "As you know, the day me and Star arrived, Star accidentally set a Butterfly village on fire, leading to my mother Moon suggesting Star and me to be sent here. However, according to _Nefcy's Royal Newsweek_ Magazine, Star had broken up with her longtime demon boyfriend, Thomas Lucitor, and simply wanted to blow off some steam, but of course, things went way worse than she intended. The village didn't suffer much damage, surprisingly, and everything is back in order."

The group "_oooh_"ed, understanding. When nobody commented for a bit, I continued.

"In other news, Queen Moon has passed a new law lowering taxes for most of the southern portions of Menwi after those areas suffered a moderate corn famine, and speaking of Tom, the 667th annual Blood Moon Ball is approaching, and the Lucitor kingdom is beginning talks regarding allowing the attendance of Mewman noble couples," I finished.

"Have you heard anything about whether Earth couples would be allowed to attend the Blood Moon Ball?" a guy asked.

"Nothing so far. So far, Mewman nobles from select kingdoms have been asked about the opportunity to attend, however nobody from the Butterfly kingdom has been contacted yet."

"If you get an invitation, who would _your_ consort be, by chance?" a girl asked, giggling.

"Well, I normally wouldn't release that information; it would be like telling everyone who your prom date is, but I do have someone in mind, but my friend Marco has a crush on her, so I won't get in his way."

At that, most of the group, including Sherry, started giggling uncontrollably, as if I'd just proposed to somebody. The group started gossiping at my revelation.

"Yeah, Marco is pretty cute, I won't deny that."  
"I wonder if he's talking about Jackie!"  
"You mean skater girl? Marco's had a crush on her since kindergarten!"  
"How do we pull Jackie away from Marco?"  
"I know! She and Luma are perfect together!"  
"And Star and Marco have been hanging out a bit too! Maybe they can double date!"  
"That would be _sooo_ cute."

I mostly ignored their comments and let them talk, gossip, or theorize, as, like most royal meetings, having an open discussion can lead to great things happening. Still, it didn't make things any less awkward.

Sherry spoke up, "Now, regarding tonight's playoff game between the Opossums and Warriors, who's going to the game?"

When Marco said every year we're smashed by the Warriors, he wasn't kidding. Even in my old universe, the Opossums usually had the best record in the conference, only to get hammered in the playoffs, usually in the first round. The Opossums and the NHL's Washington Capitals are eerily similar in that way, and it wasn't just the basketball team that suffers that fate.

Regardless, Stony Creek still had its loyal fanbase and student body.

About a third of the group raised their hands.

"Star told me she's interested in joining the Spirit Committee, so I'm probably going to be there to support her," I explained, with everyone in the group nodding in agreement.

"That's nice to hear," someone said.

"Well, the game starts soon, so I imagine you'd like to head out. Meeting adjourned, and good luck Opossums!" Sherry said, and the meeting ended.

* * *

Later that night, I wanted to catch up with Star and Marco back at home before the game. When I got there, Star was heading toward the Diaz's shed in the backyard, so I followed her.

"Hey, Star!" I said.

"Hey, Luma! Are you ready to defend the honor of the Awesome Opossums?" Star asked.

"Ummm… sure? I mean, more support means our team might play better, so I'll help you."

"Yay, bro! Grab a blowtorch!"

"Wait, what?"

* * *

I had no idea what Star's plan was, but the gist of it was that it involved lots of fire, explosives, and other questionable things. I hoped that it was merely for some type of pregame performance, but knowing how Star is, it's probably something much worse.

I arrived at the gym, which of course was packed. "Two, four, six, eight, distract them with our booty shake!" the cheerleaders chanted.

I met up with Marco near the student section, who was talking with Alfonzo and Ferguson, the latter wearing a badly made possum costume.

"It's almost game time, and thanks to me, no Warriors have even gotten close to you," Marco told Ferguson.

Suddenly, Star appeared behind us yelling loudly, wearing a suit of armor with a pink star on the breastplate, a Viking helmet, and was holding a mace which I assumed was actually her wand.

Me, Marco, Ferguson, and Alfonzo all yelped in surprise.

"Who's ready for a bloody, bloody bloodbath?" Star yelled, then laughed crazily.

"What's with that crazed look in your eyes?" Marco asked.

"What do you mean?" Star replied.

"Watch, Ferguson. I need to talk to Princess 'Cookoo Pants'," Marco said.

Me and Marco pulled Star away from the crowd.

"Star, what are you doing?" I asked.

"Exactly what Marco said!" Star replied, lifting her wand-mace. "I booby-trapped the battlefield."

"Whaaaat?" me and Marco said in disbelief.

The entire basketball court was covered in lasers, spike bombs, and pit traps. How Star managed to set all of this up without anyone noticing was beyond me.

"Staarrrrr? The Warriors weren't actually going to kill our team!" Marco yelled.

"Yeah, they were just gonna beat them in basketball! Which is a game!" I added.

Star's smile disappeared in realization. "Ooohhhh…"

The referee blew his whistle, signaling the opening tipoff. The basketball landed in a Stony Creek player, but a nearby land mine blew up as Windber got into a defensive formation. The resulting explosion set off other land mines on both sides of the court, causing most people to scatter. One of the Warriors got pulled into a blue vortex thing, all while Star looks on in worry and guilt.

"Oh, no! Everything's going according to the plan!" Star said.

Near the Opossums basket, several large creatures, including three-eyed cat monsters rise from the floorboards.

"Let me guess: the 'kitty cat offense'?" Marco asked. "We have to do something!"

Star retrieved her mace, I pulled out my wand, and Marco started to set off the remaining traps, before trapped a squirrel monster by stepping on its tail and uppercutting it.

Star changed her mace back to her wand and prepared a spell.

"Mending Heart Hurricane!"

The squirrel monsters then turned back into normal squirrels.

Meanwhile, one remaining squirrel monster grabbed Brittney with its mouth. I went over and prepared my own Mending Heart Hurricane spell to help her.

Soon, Marco was surrounded by the cat monsters and a few snakes. Me and Star noticed right away and prepared our spells.

"**Nuclear Mending Heart Hurricane!**" me and Star yelled.

A large blast of magic surrounded the court, and any remaining monsters reverted to their previous, non-deadly forms.

Marco noticed Fergeson nearby being carried off by Warriors players, but a land mine exploded, freeing him. Marco ran off to check on him while me and Star stood there in shock, looking at the state of the basketball court… or what's left of it.

"I've… really messed up," Star said.

"You mean, _we've_ really messed up. I should've been watching out for you, Star," Marco said.

"Let's get outta here!" A Warrior yelled, and all of the Windber players ran out of the gym.

"Hey! They just forfeited! We win!" A Stony Creek player yelled, and the crowd cheered.

Star cheered as well. "Woo-hoo! Huh... Why do I have this weird feeling I'm forgetting something?"

Just then a large snake slithered up and grabbed Marco, pulling him away.

"Yeah, that's it," Star said, zapping it away.


	5. Attack of the Monster Arm

It was another average Sunday morning at the Diaz residence. Marco was practicing his karate in his room while I watched.

Marco positioned a small plank of wood on two cinder blocks, took a deep breath, and positioned his hand over it. Star walked by, singing to herself, before noticing Marco, and walked in.

"Hii-yaah!" Marco yelled as he chopped the plank.

"Whoa, you hate wood, too? Yeah, crush that wood! Wood's the worst!" Star said.

"Marco's just practicing for his upcoming Tang So Do tournament," I explained.

"Yeah, Star. Martial arts is all about honor and discipline, which is why… I'm gonna kick Jeremy Birnbaum's butt!" Marco added.

"Jeremy Birnbaum? Isn't that the talking bear that used to rummage through our parents' garbage?" Star asked.

"He's just this creep in my dojo who's only any good because his rich parents buy him fancy equipment and private lessons," Marco explained. He then stacked three boards onto the cinder blocks. "But Saturday, he's gonna get a taste of this! Hiiiii-"

He swung his arm to chop the boards, but accidently hit the cinder block instead.

"YEAAOOWWW!"

* * *

Some time later, Marco was resting in Star's bed with a broken arm. Me and Star were playing with our wands; Star was trying out different hairstyles while I used Freezing Ice Beam on the ground, then levitated the ice and rotated it randomly.

"Ugh, this is a nightmare! If I can't fight Jeremy, he'll say I wussed out, and he'll never let me live it down!" Marco groaned.

"Pigtails? Ponytail? Pigtails? Ponytail? Pigtails?" Star said, turning her hair into the respective style.

"It's like a lava lamp with ice, pretty _cool_, if I do say so myself," I chuckled, adding a second chunk of ice to my impromptu display.

"Wait a minute. You two have wands! You could just fix my hand!" Marco said.

"You know... That sort of spell is not really in my comfort zone," Star said.

"Me neither, to be honest," I added.

"Oh, but if you like, I can give you a pretty wicked set of pigtails!" Star said, giving her own hair pigtails with her wand.

"Why would Marco need pigtails?" I said, slightly annoyed.

"Well, I could look up a bone-healing spell in the magic instruction book that came with the wand!" Star said, pulling out said book from under her bed and searching through it.

"What, this whole time you had a magic instruction book?" Marco asked.

"Yeah, the queens of Mewni have been using this book for centuries. When they mastered a spell, they wrote it down in here," I explained.

"It's a complete disorganized mess, though. It's gonna take me for-eeee-ver to find-" Star said, before noticing a spell on the page currently opened. "Oh, here it is!"

"Really?" Marco perked up.

"Hm, it's in an ancient language."

Star raised her wand. "Releasio Demonius Infestica!"

The spell curled around Marco's cast.

"Ah! Ah! I can feel it working! My fingers are tingling!" Marco said.

The cast gave way to a large blueish teal tentacle type thing replacing his arm, to which Marco screamed in shock and fear. I released my levitation spell, also in shock, causing the ice to drop and shatter.

"Star… what did you do?" I said.

"Ohh, don't worry, Marco! There must be a spell in here that can change it back," Star said, frantically searching the spell book.

"We'll fix it, Marco!" I said, joining Star.

Suddenly, Marco's monster arm knocked the spell book out the window, and Marco whimpered in fear.

* * *

The next morning, me and Star were eating breakfast, clearly tired, when Marco walked in.

Star yawned, "Morning, Marco, morning, monster arm. Me and Luma were up all night, but we haven't found a way to reverse the spell."

I nodded in agreement.

Marco's monster arm then grabbed Star's orange juice and poured it on Marco.

* * *

Later that same day…

"Hey, kid. I got a joke for you!"

A guy named Lars was confronting a smaller kid named Francis.

"What's the most important meal of the day?"

Lars slapped Francis's lunch tray out of his hand.

"It's breakfast!"

Francis chuckled nervously. "That's a good one, Lars."

He then tried to pick his tray back up, but Lars shoved his face in it. Marco's monster arm then punched Lars.

"Hey, who did that?" Lars asked.

Marco pointed to his monster arm. "Uhhh…"

"Nobody hits Lars-"

The monster arm hit Lars several more times, before he ran away crying. The monster arm picked up Francis and cleaned him off.

"I, sir, am in your debt," Francis said.

Several students then crowded the monster arm.

"You're a hero!" Ferguson said.

"Can I check out that arm?" Jackie said.

"I want it to be my boyfriend!" Janna said.

"Me too!" someone else said.

Marco grinned at all the attention his monster arm was giving him.

* * *

Back at home, me and Star were still looking through the spell book when...

"Ah-ha! We found it!" I yelled.

"A reverse tentacle spell… I think," Star said.

"Maybe try it on something first, Star," I said

"Way ahead of you," Star said pulling out a potted plant.

"Returnio Armius Normalritecus!"

Star's spell made the plant catch fire.

"Here, let me try," I said, pulling out another potted plant.

"Returnius Armius Normalrinny!"

My attempt only succeeded in making the plant explode. Both me and Star groaned.

* * *

Both me and Star had tried all night to get the spell just right, making it two straight nights spent trying to fix Marco's monster arm, and both me and Star were struggling to not fall asleep.

"Returnio… Armius… Normalrino…" Star said, _very_ tiredly.

Star's spell actually worked that time, turning the plant into a normal-looking human hand.

"Star… you did it!" I said. The hand plant gave a thumbs up in response.

"Marco!" Star yelled, leaving, and I followed close behind with the pot in tow.

In Marco's room, he was doing one-handed push ups with his monster arm. "673... 674... 675…"

"We did it, we did it, we did it, we did it, we did it, WE DID IT!" Star and I yelled excitedly.

"Hey, I think this monster arm might actually help me take out Jeremy!" Marco said. "Hiiii-YAH!" he smashed through 9 or 10 wood planks with ease.

"Wait, you're gonna fight with that?" Star asked.

"Yeah, that seems a bit unfair," I added.

"Ohhhh, funny how you two never have a problem using your magic when it benefits you, but as soon as it gives me an advantage, you want to take it away!" Marco said, a bit angry and jealous.

"Marco, that arm's a bad influence, I think," I said, and Star nodded in agreement.

"And I think, you should go," Marco said, pushing us out.

"What? Fine! But I don't-" Star tried to say, but Marco slammed the door shut.

"What do we do now, bro?"

"I don't know, Star. Maybe we can go find Ludo or something. Destress a little with our own little fight, Butterfly style!"

"Hmmm, that does sound like a good idea, but I'm too worried about Marco."

"I know, me too."

"Let's just go to the dojo. Maybe we can fix his arm there."

"Okay, sis."

* * *

At the dojo, me and Star were making our way through the crowd, eventually sitting next to Ferguson and Alfonzo.

"Are you okay, Star and Luma?" Alfonzo asked.

"You two look terrible. And I have very low standards," Ferguson added.

Me and Star yawned at the same time.

"We've been up for two nights trying to fix his monster arm, then he gets mad." Star explained.

"Now we've got to come here and watch him karate, you know?" I added.

The sensei appeared and said, "Allow me to introduce our first competitor, Jeremy Birnbaum!"

Jeremy was seen at one end of the dojo, flanked by two butlers. He pushed them out of the way, then took off his cape, revealing that he had been standing on a footstool.

"That's Jeremy?" Star said, surprised.

"That kid can't be any more than eight years old!" Ferguson added.

"We love you, son!" Jeremy's mom yelled from the crowd.

"Shut it, Mom!" he yelled back.

"And his opponent, Marco Diaz," the sensei announced.

Marco appeared in the other end of the dojo.

"Hey, wait! He's got a monster arm! That's not fair!" Jeremy complained.

"Yeah, pretty cool, right?" the sensei replied.

"Hey… Star… the fight… is gonna… start…" I said, but heard snoring, before I ended up falling asleep myself…

* * *

The fight began, and Marco's monster arm coiled around Jeremy's neck and tossed him across the dojo into a trophy shelf, which collapsed and fell with Jeremy on it.

"Point, Diaz," the sensei announced nonchalantly.

"Where are your private lessons now, Jeremy? Huh?" Marco taunted.

Marco's monster arm picked up Jeremy, and started talking, "He's beaten. Now finish him!"

Marco just stood there confused.

"This is what you've always wanted. Destroy him! Eat his bowels!"

"Not my bowels! I love my bowels!" Jeremy said, afraid of what the monster arm would do.

"Listen, I just wanted to win the tournament so he wouldn't make fun of me!" Marco told the monster arm.

"If you're too weak to finish him, I'll do it myself!" the monster arm said, then tore off Jeremy's shirt.

"Luma was right about you! You are a bad influence!" Marco said.

"And you are pathetic," the monster arm stated, then threw Jeremy across the dojo again, this time into a punching bag, which swung back into Jeremy's face.

"Point, Diaz," the sensei announced again.

The monster arm then attacked Marco.

"Star? Luma? You can change it back now!" Marco called out.

"Star! Luma!" Ferguson and Alfonzo yelled.

"You gotta wake up!" Alfonzo yelled.

Marco's monster arm kept hitting Marco against the ceiling, then slapped Marco with his other arm.

"Stop hitting yourself. Stop hitting yourself."

"Hey! Wake up!" Ferguson yelled.

"Here try this!" Alfonzo said, handling Ferguson a soda.

"Oh, thank you so much," Ferguson said, sipping the soda.

"No! On them!"

"Oh."

* * *

I was awoken by someone splashing a drink on my face, and what sounded like Alfonzo yelling at me.

"Star! Luma!" Marco yelled.

"Right!" I said, readying my wand. Star did the same.

"Returnio Armius Normalrino!"

The monster arm dodged Star's spell, and it hit a punching bag.

"Returnio Armius Normalrino!"

My attempt ended up hitting a dumbbell.

Both me and Star kept firing the spell repeatedely, but the monster arm kept dodging the blasts.

"Ugh! He's too wiggly!" Star complained.

Marco pointed out all the objects on the floor that were now hands. They wrapped around the monster arm, trapping it.

"Now!" Marco called out.

"Returnio Armius Normalrino!"

Both me and Star actually hit the monster arm that time, which began shrinking.

"You'll never get rid of me! I'm part of you now! You can treat the symptoms, but you'll never cure the virus!" the monster arm yelled, before disappearing and returning to Marco's normal arm.

"Marco, are you okay?" Star asked.

"Ugh… Hey, my arm! My beautiful arm! It's back to normal!" he replied.

Just then a snapping sound was heard.

"...And totally broken."

All I could say was, "Wow."

"Broken arm? Hah! Well, it looks like I win!" Jeremy said.

However, brass knuckles fell out of his sleeves, and one of the arms held it up to the sensei.

"Brass knuckles? Seriously?"

"Brass? Pfft, they're gold."

"You boys have brought shame and dishonor to this great and noble sport. 'Tis a sad day for strip mall dojos everywhere," the sensei said, disappointed.

At that, Jeremy and his parents walked out.

"Star, Luma, I'm sorry. I should've listened to you," Marco said.

"I know," Star said.

"I forgive you," I added.

"Hey, uh, when the monster arm said he'd be back, that's nothing to worry about, right?" Marco asked.

"Uh, probably not?" Star said, still a bit nervous.

Yeah, I wouldn't worry about it," I added.

We then started to walk home, leaving behind yet another magical misadventure.

* * *

_Today was actually pretty fun,_ I thought. _Just me and my friends, having a great time._

Star was switching hairstyles with her wand again, and Marco and I laughed when her hair caught on fire. I used Freezing Ice Beam to put the fires out, then froze my own hair to match. Marco laughed harder at that.

_This may be an alternate Stony Creek, but somehow it's worlds better than my own reality…_

Star seemed to read my thoughts, and smiled at me and pulled me and Marco into a hug.

_Yup, I'm really thinking I can call this place home…_


	6. The Other Exchange Student

"Surprise! Happy 47th day on Earth, Star and Luma!"

Me and Star had just woken up, and were immediately greeted by Raphael and Angie.

"Aahhh! A party? For me? I can't believe it!" Star said excitedly.

"Star, this has been happening almost every day since we came here," I said.

"Here, Star. I made you a cake," Raphael said, holding out said cake, which had a picture of me and Star on it.

"And I wrote you a poem," Angie added. "'Our lives were so small and puny 'til these angels arrived from Mewni'!"

"Okay, I gotta admit, that's really sweet. Thanks, Angie," I said.

Suddenly the doorbell rang, and Marco went to answer it.

"Hello! It is I, Gustav!"

"No way!" Marco replied.

"Ha ha! Marco! My American friend!" Gustav said, as he and Marco perform an elaborate handshake, ending with them doing a double high five.

"Look who's here!" Marco showed Gustav to Angie and Raphael.

"Ooh! How wonderful!" Raphael said.

"What a wonderful surprise!" Angie added.

The two then went to greet Gustav, leaving Star and I alone.

"We've missed you so much!" Angie said as she and Raphael hugged Gustav.

"Um… hi," Star said.

"Oh, hello. I am Gustav. I was the Diazes' exchange student last year," Gustav said.

"What? But I thought I was your one and only foreign exchange student!" Star said.

"Well sis, Marco's had a lot of different exchange students over the years, and I've actually really enjoyed Mr. and Ms. Diaz's stories," I explained, showing Star a wall filled with pictures of the Diaz's previous exchange students.

"This Gustav kid in particular sounds really nice," I added, then greeted Gustav, "Hey there, I'm Luma, one of Marco's current exchange students and Star's brother."

"Very nice to meet you, Luma," Gustav replied, then pulled out gifts and handed them out. "I brought gifts from Scandinavia! For Mrs. D, a pair of clogs, for Marco, the handheld game 'Lederhosen Tycoon', and for Mr. Diaz, a genuine Viking helmet!"

Raphael put on the helmet and proceeded to headbutt a wall.

"...And for you two… nothing! I did not know you existed!" Gustav finished with a chuckle.

"Oh," Star simply said.

"No problem, dude. Don't sweat it," I replied.

"Oh! Mrs. D, you've gotten so thin. I need to fatten you up! Come, everyone, and I will cook you my meatballs!" Gustav said, leading the Diazes into the kitchen.

"That's fine, I'll catch up with you later, guys," I said, walking back upstairs, while Star simply stood there, clearly feeling left out.

* * *

After using Pony's dimensional scissors to pick up my own meal from County Fair, I returned to the Diazes, who were clearly enjoying Gustav's meatballs.

"I hope you don't mind me getting something for myself, Gustav. Admittedly I'm not a meatball kind of guy," I explained.

"Not a problem, Luma. In fact, I did end up getting you something! Here!" Gustav said, handing me several gift certificates for free fries, chicken tenders, and other items.

"Oh, thanks bro!" I said.

"Don't mention it. So anyways, the Scandinavian monsoons were over, but the danger had just begun! The iceberg was sinking. Heedless of my own peril, I disrobed. I dove into the freezing fjord and I carried Yuri back to his mother!" Gustav said.

Both me and the Diazes "oohed" at Gustav's story, while Star looked unimpressed.

"So, uh, Gustav, where exactly are you from?" Star asked.

"How much do you know about Europe?" Gustav asked, a little nervous.

"I know it's a place, I'm pretty sure," Star replied.

"Well then, I come from the country of Scandinavia. It is a land where Vikings teach gym class and everyone has a pet penguin, even if you don't like penguins. Oop, too bad, here's your penguin!" Gustav explained.

"I love these meatballs! Gustav, make me more!" Marco exclaimed.

"Anything for my best mate!" Gustav replied, already making another batch.

"Just think, three more weeks of this!" Marco said.

Angie and Raphael nodded in agreement, while Star looked on, and I sipped my drink.

* * *

The next morning…

"Surprise!"

"Aah! A party for me?" Star said, however…

"Happy second day of your visit, Gustav!" me and the Diazes said.

"Oh, Diaz family. You are so full of pleasantness!" Gustav replied, from behind Star as he walked downstairs.

"Gustav! Gustav! Gustav! Gustav!" me and the Diazes chanted.

Star simply groaned, before noticing something in Gustav's bag.

"Hey, Star, it's kinda rude to look through people's stuff-" I began, but noticed the same thing Star did.

It was some books called _Scandinavian for Doofuses_ and _Customs of Scandinavia_.

"Whaat?" Star said holding the first book.

"Something's… off about this," I added.

"Marco!" Star called out. "Listen, I think there's something off about Gustav. I found Scandinavian books and language tapes in his bag. Why would someone need to learn his own language?"

"Uh…"

"Why is he always making meatballs? Meatballs aren't so great. I can make things too!" Star then summoned a spider with a top hat, which scurried away.

"Probably why he gave me those gift certificates then. But… how did he know that I go to County Fair every week or so, or that I get their breakfast biscuits almost all the time?"

"I really don't know, but I do know one thing! I hope he never leaves!" Marco exclaimed.

"Hey Marco! Think fast!" Gustav yelled, launching a meatball at Marco, who caught it in his mouth.

"Alright, Star," I said. "Time to investigate."

* * *

Armed with my phone, our wands, and Pony's scissors, me and Star started spying on Gustav. First, Star spotted Gustav making a phone call in secret, then caught Gustav packing an axe into his bag.

I printed out these photos and strung them on Star's bulletin board.

Later, I spotted Gustav making yet another batch of meatballs, anxious to know what his next move would be… until I spotted Buff Frog with binoculars on the exact same tree as me.

"Not fighting today, froggy. I'm on a mission."

Lastly, I caught Gustav measuring Raphael and Angie while they were asleep.

After several days, Star and I had gotten nowhere with our investigation; Star's bulletin board was stuffed, and we probably looked worse than we did when we tried to help Marco with his monster arm.

"Star! Luma! We're about to-" Marco said, before being pulled into me and Star's room.

Star and I were panting heavily, and Marco looked concerned.

"We've been awake for days spying on Gustav, and we're this close to figuring out what he's plotting!" Star explained.

"His stories don't add up, Marco! Penguins? Icebergs? Polar bears!" I said.

"I mean, what the heck is a polar bear, Marco?"

"He's also making phone calls, Marco. Phone calls! To who? Who knows, but I tell you, Gustav is up to something terrible!" I finished.

"Terrible, Marco! _Terrible!_"

"...You two have lost your minds," Marco said. "But if you find them, we're meeting Gustav for a picnic at Isolation Point, where no one can hear you scream... with enjoyment!"

Marco then left, and we looked at the bulletin board one last time.

* * *

_"Oh, Mrs. D, you've gotten so thin."_

_"Gustav, Gustav, Gustav, Gustav!"_

_"How did he know that I go to County Fair?"_

_"Meatballs, meatballs, meatballs…"_

_"Isolation Point…"_

_"Here is your penguin... I need to fatten you up!"_

_Fatten them? Don't people do that to animals before… oh, no!_

_OH, NO!_

* * *

An ear-piercing scream echoed throughout Stony Creek, as me and Star finally put the pieces together.

"Star! I think I know what's going on! Gustav's not taking them _on_ a picnic!"

"Right, bro! They _are_ the picnic!"

"We gotta do something!"

Just then, a car was heard starting and pulling away.

"There goes the Diazes! We gotta move NOW!" I said, and we immediately grabbed our wands.

"Bitter Blizzard Blast!"

With that spell, I propelled me and Star onto the roof of the Diaz's minivan, and Star poofed up seat belts for us. Then we leaned onto each side of the van, trying to get the Diaz's attention.

"Don't trust Gustav! He's evil!" I yelled.

"You're all going to die!" Star added.

Unfortunately our efforts were for nothing as the Diazes apparently couldn't hear us over the sound of the van's engine and they also looked like they were singing something, but I couldn't make it out.

By now we were almost to Isolation Point, and Star decided to zap a nearly sign, causing the formerly right-pointed sign to point left instead, fooling the Diazes. Freeing ourselves from the magic seatbelts, me and Star followed the correct path to Isolation Point to confront Gustav.

Upon arrival, Gustav was seen making a campfire. We crept up closer, hiding behind a bush, as Gustav pulled out an axe. This caused Star to snap, and she approached Gustav menacingly, wand in hand and pointing it right at Gustav.

"We knew you were up to no good, meatball boy!" she yelled.

Gustav screamed, dropped his axe, and tried to run away, only to be stopped by me, assuming the same position as Star, and I started snarling and growling a bit, as if I were a tiger or something.

"Give it up, Gustav! We know your darkest secrets!" I said. "I have a wand, and I'm not afraid to use it. Talk!"

Gustav only whimpered.

"Not talking, eh?" Star said, coming by my side and letting a few pink sparks fly off her wand. "Are we gonna have to bring out the bad boys?"

"I can freeze you right now like that one dude from 'Ice Age', and you'll be stuck here for probably millions of years!" I added, adding in small yet sharp ice shards to Star's random sparks.

Somehow that worked; Gustav broke down and surrendered. "Okay, yes! It's true! I'm full of lies!"

"So, you admit you're planning to eat the Diazes?" Star asked.

"Yes, yes!" Gustav admitted, before realizing what we said and adding, "...Wait, what? No! I don't want to eat them!"

"But you said-" I started.

Speaking without his accent, he added, "I mean, I'm not from Scandinavia. Truth is, my name is Charlie Booth, and I'm just a guy from Bakersfieldville. Nobody's heard of it. Back home, I'm just another boring face in a really boring crowd. It's not a good place for a talented guy like me."

As Charlie was no longer a threat, me and Star lowered our wands, and I replied, "Hey, honestly I'm the same way where I'm from, but making an alternate identity… That's a bit too much. I mean, how do you explain those phone calls? The axe? The meatballs?"

"Well, the phone calls were to my meat guy, but he wouldn't pick up. The axe was to cut firewood for today's feast. As for the meatballs, my dream is to become a chef and open a restaurant in Bakersfieldville that uses spices and flavors! So that's why I ran away and moved in with the Diazes," Charlie explained.

"Hmmm, understandable," I replied, nodding.

"But what about measuring the Diazes in their sleep?" Star asked.

"Uhhhhh…" Charlie stammered nervously.

Just then, a horn was heard, and the Diazes rolled up in their van.

"You made it!" Angie called out, approaching me and Star.

"Yeah, I did. And I came here to tell you something about Gustav…" Star began. Charlie laughed nervously and gulped loudly.

"...He's made you even more meatballs!" Star finished.

The Diazes cheered in response, and ran to the campfire.

"Phew, thanks for not blowing my cover, Star. If there's ever anything I can do for you…" Charlie began.

"Actually, there is one thing…" I replied.

* * *

The next day, at the Diaz residence...

"Bye! Bye-bye, Gustav! Bye!" Star yelled as Gustav is seen leaving, almost getting run over by traffic as he crossed the road.

"See you next year, Gustav!" Marco added.

"Or not! You never know! Bye now!" Star said.

With that, Star and Marco went back inside.

"Well hey, at least that guy is still real nice," I said. "Oh, that reminds me, I better use those gift certificates soon."

"I'm sorry your favorite exchange student had to leave so soon," Star told Marco.

"You kidding? You two are my favorites!" Marco replied.

"Awww…" Star cooed.

"Thanks, Marco. That means a lot, dude," I added, shaking his hand.

"I will miss seeing him, though. That guy is just so... real," Marco said.

"Surprise! Happy 51st day on Earth, Star and Luma!" Angie and Raphael yelled.

"Aah! A party for me?!" Star said.

"Deja vu much?" I deadpanned.

"Who wants cake?" Raphael said.

"Eh, I'll have some cake," I said, taking some.


	7. Cheer Up, Butterflies

"Run, Marco! Run!" I yelled.

Me, Star, and Marco were attempting to escape Ludo and his monster army. Star fired off some Cupcake Blasts to buy us more time, as we eventually made it to Marco's dad's shed in the backyard.

Once inside, Marco immediately locked the door as monsters attempted to get inside. Star used her wand like a flashlight and I reinforced the lock with a Freezing Ice Beam.

"How could I have been so _stupid_!" Marco said, looking for something.

"Marco, what is going on?" Star asked as Marco retrieved a skull bust from a shelf.

"Umm, this may be all my fault," Marco replied.

"Wait, what? What did you-" I began, before noticing Three-Eyed Potato Baby peeking inside the window. Star went and closed the blinds.

"Thanks, sis," I said, before turning back to Marco. "What. Did. You. Do?"

Marco ignored me and handed the skull bust to Star.

"Hold this. Uhh, we're gonna need to build some armor," Marco said, putting on a welder's mask.

"Marco…" Star tried to get his attention.

"Where does Dad keep his blowtorch?" Marco asked.

The monsters outside gave the shed a good shove, causing the blowtorch to fall into Marco's hand.

Marco chuckled, "There it is."

"Marco!"

Marco closed the welder's mask over his face and activated the blowtorch.

"Marco Diaz!"

Finally, Marco deactivated the blowtorch, raised his mask, and turned to face me and Star.

"What. Is going. On!?" Star and I asked together.

"Look, do you remember when I was having that really bad day?" Marco started.

"Ugh. Don't remind me, it was a bad day for me too," I added. "Actually Marco had it worse, admittedly."

* * *

_A few days ago, Marco had missed the bus and was running to try and catch up with it. Star opened a window and waved at Marco._

_"Look at you, jogging to school. In the zone!" Star said._

_"I'm trying to catch the bus!" Marco panted._

_"Got to keep your focus. I get it. Stay in that zone!" Star said._

_The bus suddenly stopped, and Marco ran right into the bus's "stop" sign._

_"Who punched by bus? Who does that? Bus never did nothin' to you," the driver said._

_The door then closed trapping Marco's sleeve, and the bus started moving again, taking Marco with it. When the bus hit a speed bump, Marco's hoodie ripped right open, and he was tossed right into some trash cans. He got up, now with a black eye, and some jerk on a bike noticed Marco - or specifically, his t-shirt underneath the now torn hoodie, which showed Marco kissing a ninja on the cheek with the caption "I Kissed A Ninja at Karatekon 2012"._

_"Woah… Heh ha ha ha ha! You kissed a _ninja_!"_

_Marco then grabbed a nearby newspaper and decided to wear it like a shirt, covering his actual shirt, out of embarrassment._

_The guy continued laughing then stopped suddenly and rode off._

_By that point Marco had reached the school and I noticed Marco's condition and ran over to him._

_"Marco! Are you okay?" I asked._

_"Yeah, I'm fine," he replied, before he noticed a nearly flier on the wall._

_"Ugh, you gotta be kidding me. School picture day?" Marco groaned._

_A girl with a camera walked by, said "Smile!" and snapped a picture of Marco._

_"Ugh, I wanna go home," Marco groaned louder._

_"Hey, maybe the rest of the day will be better," I said, trying to cheer him up._

_"Well, well, well! Marco Diaz!" Jeremy suddenly said, approaching Marco._

_"Not today, Jeremy," Marco said._

_"Yeah, Marco's had enough of a bad day already. Leave him alone!" I added, even pulling out my wand and making it spark a bit._

_"I came to give you a black eye for picture day, but apparently, there's no need!" Jeremy ignored our pleas and continued to tease Marco._

_"I said, leave him ALONE!" I said, stomping my feet - right onto Jackie's skateboard._

_"Ooh-ho-ho-hooo!" Jeremy taunted._

_"Luma… You broke my skateboard," Jackie said disappointed._

_"Jackie, I-" I started._

_"It's fine, Luma," Jackie interrupted. "I'll just live with it."_

_She then tried to roll off with just half of her skateboard._

_"I think my work here is done," Jeremy said, before running off._

_"Well, that was a great start for today," I said sarcastically._

* * *

"I'm sorry you had a bad day, but what does that have to do with right now?" Star asked as she put the skull head into a vice.

"I'm getting to that," Marco replied, and started to saw the head off.

A monster broke through the wall suddenly, and began to reach around, trying to grab one of us. Marco freed the skull head from the vice and put it within the monster's reach. It grabbed the head, breaking it off leaving just the base.

"Thank you!" Marco called out, then covered the hole with a painting.

"Anyways, I got over it eventually, but Marco was still really bummed out. So me and you tried everything to cheer him up!" I explained.

* * *

_Star was wearing a large fake mustache and was juggling a few of the laser puppies._

_"Huh? Huh? Huuuh?"_

_Marco's expression remained unchanged._

* * *

_With a glass of water in hand, I used my wand to suspend the water in midair, splitting the large droplets into multiple pieces and made them change into random colors, even freezing a few of them._

_"Like this, Marco?" I asked._

_Marco was not impressed at all, but Star applauded like crazy._

* * *

_I was holding a top hat, which Star pulled a large fish out of._

_"Ta-da!" Star yelled._

_The fish then swallowed Star's head, and I rushed to try and free her, before Star tripped and fell, allowing the fish to swallow her whole. My hands slipped in the process, launching me into the wall._

_This made Marco laugh histerically, and me and Star joined him in laughter._

_"I'm in a fish!" Star said, still laughing._

_I freed myself from the wall, and added "That ought to make AFV," still laughing._

* * *

"And then, Star, you met Oskar," Marco continued.

"Oh right. Crazy keytar dude," I said and then shuddered.

* * *

_All around the school, yelling and screaming could be heard as a horrible keytar melody was heard playing. Everybody rushed to protect themselves from the audible torture._

_Well, everybody except Star, who was in a trance. She pulled my noise-canceling headset off which was blaring 8-bit video game music._

_"Luma! Who is that fresh of breath air?" Star asked._

_"Oh, _that guy_. He's Oskar Greyson. I'd keep my distance. That guy has a record," I replied._

_"Oooh, a record!" Star said, infatuated, and ran towards him._

_"Not that kind of record, Star!" I yelled, but Star ignored me._

_I simply put my headset back on, pulled out my phone, and resumed listening to my music._

* * *

"Ahh, I couldn't wait to talk to him," Star said.

"Speaking of, I wanted to properly apologize to Jackie for breaking her skateboard, since she didn't give me a chance to the other day, but it didn't exactly go too well," I added.

* * *

_After school, I wanted to catch up with Jackie, since I hadn't seen her since the skateboard incident._

_"_This is it, Luma_," I thought. "_Your chance to really bond with Jackie._"_

_I approached Jackie, who was still on her half-skateboard, and said," Oh, hey there, Jackie."_

_"Oh, it's you," she replied coldly._

_"Listen, I'm really sorry-"_

_"Don't. It's fine, Luma."  
_

_"No, it's not. I need to apologize for-"_

_"For what? This?" she gestured to her broken skateboard. "It's no big deal. Goes to show you how some people really are."_

_"But that was an accid-"_

_"Sure, you can say that, but I'm right. People are cruel. Some more than others."_

_"But Jackie,-"_

_"Just leave, _Butterfly_. I just need to accept it and move on. I'll call you sometime later."_

_"Okay, Jackie," I said, leaving._

* * *

_Later that day, Marco and I were playing on our phones, until Star suddenly grabbed Marco's phone._

_"I'm expecting a phone call! From Oskar!" Star said, _very_ excited._

_"Why don't you just give him the home line?" Marco asked._

_"Eh, I like your ringtone better," Star replied, then played said ringtone on Marco's phone._

"Space unicorn! Soaring through the stars!"

_"So cute," Star said._

_Marco sighed, "It's supposed to be ironic."_

* * *

"I guess I'm just not cool enough for a guy with a record," Star said sadly.

"Are you kidding? You're the coolest girl I know," Marco said to Star.

Star smiled at that, then Marco turned to me and added, "And Luma, I'm sorry about what happened with you and Jackie. Really, I am."

"It's okay, Diaz. I hope you don't mind that I have a crush on her too," I replied. "Love works in strange ways…"

Star was seen chewing on her wand, probably thinking about Oskar.

"Some times even more so than others," I added.

"It's cool, Luma. If I'm being honest, I was getting nowhere with Jackie. You're probably way better for her, bro," Marco said.

"Anyways, you two were so sad, especially Star," Marco continued his story.

"It was my turn to cheer you up."

* * *

_Star and I were laying on our beds, still down from what happened. Marco crept up to Star wearing a clown mask and holding a flashlight to his face._

_"Hey, Star!"_

_Star shrieked loudly, scared._

_"I thought you liked clowns! Sorry!"_

_"Classic Marco," I chuckled._

* * *

_Eventually I'd grown tired of just laying down so I went onto the roof to stargaze, eventually playing Minecraft on my phone._

_"Darn creepers!" I yelled, after a pack of them blew up half my house. I rushed to protect myself from additional monsters, before giving up for now, quitting the game to just look over the town at night._

_Until Marco was heard screaming from inside Star's room, and I heard fireworks exploded as well. Concerned, I went back inside to find the room flooded, and Marco laying on the floor next to Star's bed, spitting out a lit sparkler._

_"Ta-da!" Marco said._

_Star groaned and turned over, and I simply looked at him and frowned, as if to say "What were you thinking?", before I went back to my own bed._

_Marco then noticed our wands on the end table._

"And that's when I realized: nothing makes you happier than when you're Narwhal Blasting and/or Powder Snow Blasting monsters!" Marco said.

"...So, I tried to lure one with your wands."

* * *

"So, you brought these monsters here to cheer us up?" Star asked.

"Yeah, there were at least 15 hundred things you could've done besides that that would've worked," I added.

"Well, I didn't expect so many to show up," Marco explained, before putting a bucket as a helmet on Star's head. "But don't worry! This armor will hold them off!"

Suddenly the shed's roof is ripped right off, and several monsters grabbed me, Star, and Marco, causing Marco's "armor" - really just a bunch of things laying around the shed - to fall off in the process.

"Give it up, Star and Luma Butterfly! You're outmatched!" Ludo yelled.

"Ludo, what's with all these new monsters?" Star asked.

"What? These are all the same monsters I always bring!" Ludo replied.

"Well, I don't recognize any of these guys," I said.

"I've never seen this dude in my life," Marco added.

"You mean you've never met Man Arm?" Ludo asked. Man Arm turned and waved his humanlike right arm, and said, "Hey."

"Surely, you know Spike Balls," Ludo continued.

Spike Balls approached Marco and he took one of the spikes and shook hands using it. Spike Balls greeted Marco, " Hi, I'm Spike Balls. I'm usually in the back."

"Now that you all know each other... Get the wands!" Ludo yelled.

The three of us charged into battle, with Star leading off with a Rainbow Fist Punch right to the two headed monster's chest. I followed up with a Razor Leaf Blast to Man Arm who Marco finished off with a horizontal karate chop.

Star then raised her wand, "Honeybee Tornado Storm!"

Bees began swarmed Ludo's army, some of them stinging the monsters. A nearby flower monster seemed to _really_ enjoy it though…

"You were right, Marco! I'm totally cheered up!" Star said, then Narwhal Blasted the chicken monster.

"I second that," I said, firing off a flamethrower spell at Deer Beard.

"Yeah, I don't even care if Oskar calls!" Star yelled.

Suddenly Marco's phone rung, still in Star's pocket.

"_Space unicorn! Soaring through the stars! Delivering the rainbows..._"

"Ugh! What is that horrible ringtone?" Ludo asked.

Marco, who was in a headlock from Man Arm, replied, "It's supposed to be ironic!"

Star gasped, "It's Oskar!"

"Well, answer it!" I said.

"Oh, right, right!" Star said, then my own phone rang, playing the Route 4 music from Pokémon Black & White.

"Now that's someone with taste," Ludo offhandly commented as I answered.

"Hey there."

_"Oh, hi Luma, it's Jackie. Listen, I'm sorry about earlier today. I was mad because my parents yelled at me cause I failed a history test and they totally chewed me out, dude. It was pretty intense."_

"Nah, it's fine, Jackie. I'm also sorry for wrecking your skateboard. I didn't mean to."

_"That's cool, I know you were trying to protect your bro Diaz there, besides, my granddad owns the company, so I get them basically for free."_

"Oh, that's pretty cool, actually."

_"Yeah, anyways I gotta go… I'll see you at school Monday."_

"Sure thing, Jackie."

_"'Kay, later dude!"_

Jackie then hung up, then I heard a yell.

"HEY! I AM ON THE PHONE! YOU MONSTERS ARE SO RUDE!" Star yelled.

"**SYRUP TSUNAMI SHOCKWAVE!**"

Star's spell covered the area with syrup, pancakes, and waffles.

Ludo and his monsters are seen spread throughout the yard, covered in syrup.

"Mmm, thanks, Marco. You did know just how to cheer me up. And Oskar called anyway!" Star said.

"Jackie called too! Turns out, there's no hard feelings at all; she was having a bad day too," I added.

"That's wonderful news, guys!" Marco said.

"Hugs!" me and Star said, and hugged each other and Marco. Unfortunately, we got stuck like that by the syrup from Star's spell, but none of us really cared.

Until the guy on the bicycle rolled up and laughed at us like last time. I nonchalantly blasted him with a Freezing Ice Beam before resuming our sticky, but heartwarming hug.


	8. Of Frogs, Wands, and Sloths

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't own Amphibia. (Or Star Vs., for that matter)
> 
> Really didn't mean for this chapter to effectively become a love letter to Amphibia, but I don't have any regrets.  
Also, Luma's reaction to Amphibia basically mirrors my own reaction to Star, especially after Season 3B, in case you were wondering how into this show I really am… totally not shameful at all :D

Another random Saturday morning at the Diaz household...

"_Giant head? Spindly limbs? Face bump? The __**beast**__!_"

"_Stop following me!_"

"_I have bad news for you, beast! I taste terrible!_"

I was in the living room, watching some new Disney Channel show named _Amphibia _and was extremely impressed with it so far. I honestly haven't been as invested into any TV show like I was now, and I felt like I could watch this show until I die.

Star and Marco then walked into the room from downstairs, as they argued with each other… something about "getting organized" and "using too much magic", which I didn't pay any mind to, in favor of watching Sprig and Anne's antics instead.

"Hey, Luma. Whatcha watching?" Marco asked after a while.

"Oh, hey Marco. It's just this new show called _Amphibia_. Basically this girl steals a weird magic music box from a thrift store after she's pressured from her friends, and when they open it they get transported to a world of anthropomorphic frogs, and they basically have a bunch of random adventures as she tries to find a way to get back to her world," I explained.

_Geez, this is _way _too similar to my own situation now that I think about it…_

"Hmmm… sounds interesting. I'll check it out sometime," Marco said.

"Anyways, what are you two up to?" I asked.

"I'm trying to get Star to be more organized. Have you seen the bathroom? It's literally a mess," Marco replied.

"If you think that's bad, you should see our closet," I said, and shuddered.

Marco said nothing in response.

The three of us watched the rest of the _Amphibia_ episode, and after it was over, Star, Marco, and I decided to head upstairs and hang out.

Me and Star were practicing our magic on each other, when suddenly both our wands fizzled out and turned into desaturated versions of their normal color schemes.

"Hmmm?" Star said.

"What's wrong with our wands?" I followed.

"Better check under the hood," Star said, opening a compartment in her wand, revealing a sickly-looking Millhorse walking weakly on a treadmill of some kind. Opening the sapphire crystal on the top of my wand revealed the same thing.

"I think I know what's going on. Our wands need recharged. Star, have you seen our chargers?" I asked.

Star instantly started panicking, and frantically looking for hers. "No, Luma… pegasus feathers! Where is it?"

"Where did you leave it last?" Marco said.

Star ignored her, throwing various objects around including a sword and a mace that me and Marco were lucky enough to avoid.

"Umm… I think I saw Star's in the bathroom, but I'm not sure about mine. It might just be under the couch cushions or something… I do love watching _Amphibia_; I was there all morning binging the first half of the season," I replied, chuckling. "Maybe it fell off my wand or something."

Marco nodded, understanding.

"Anyways, I might not be showing it - unlike Star," I pointed to her still trashing the place looking for her wand charger - "but I'm freaking out, man. You know how you have to charge your phone every so often so you don't miss out on anything, like phone calls or Twitter updates? Wands need to be charged up, too, or else they won't work like they used to, if at all. Don't ask me how or why, it's just something weird I never understood," I explained.

Again, Marco nodded, then said, "So why can't you just buy another charger?"

Star turned around; what Marco said had gave her an idea.

"Of course! Why didn't I think of that sooner? They sell them at Quest Buy," Star said.

"Quest Buy?" me and Marco said.

Without giving a response, Star opened a portal there with Pony's scissors and pulled us through.

"Welcome to Quest Buy!"

* * *

Quest Buy was _huge_.

Like, bigger than the average Earth mall huge.

"Whoa…" Marco said.

"_Attention, Quest Buy shoppers. We have a red ticket special - 25% off of all things that murder,_" someone said on the PA.

"Weird," I simply said.

"Gnome repellent? Extra-strength ghost heads? How do you find anything in this place?" Marco asked.

"It only looks messy. Legend says that the founders of Quest Buy had an ancient cryptic system of symbols they used to organize the store. Some have gone mad trying to decipher it!" Star explained.

"Well hopefully we find the wand chargers soon," I said. "And life size Sprig Plantar plushies. So cute."

"Luckily, I myself know my way around here pretty well myself, if I do say so myself. I think I just said too many 'myself's," Star said.

At that, we all ran off towards one end of the massive store.

* * *

After a short while, we encountered some type of sphinx blocking the way.

"Halt! Those who wish to pass my lair, answer my riddles if you dare! I do not breathe-" it began.

"A leg," Star said, looking at my phone.

"-but I run-"

"I'm telling you, it's a leg," I said.

"-and jump-"

"A leg!" Star yelled, annoyed.

"Heard it 10,000 times already," I added.

"...Wait, how could you possibly know that?" the sphinx asked.

"The Internet," Star said.

"Internet?"

"Look it up, now come on, open up!" I said.

The sphinx let us proceed through a passage under her chest.

"Thank you!" Star called out.

* * *

"Okay, should be right through here!" Star said, however…

"Gnome repellent? Extra-strength ghost heads? We're right back where we started! How is this even possible?" Marco said, confused.

"Let's see. We made a right turn, then another right turn, then another right turn, then another right turn. Ugh! This makes no sense!" Star said.

"It does if you're a NASCAR driver," I said sarcastically.

Ludo then bumped into Star with his cart, flanked by his monster entourage.

"Well, well, well. Looks like Quest Buy really does have everything a monster could want!" Ludo said.

"Ludo!" Star said, as Marco and I prepared to fight.

"Now hand over those wands, or there's going to be a big cleanup on aisle…" Ludo paused, and then asked, "Uh, what aisle is this?"

A nearby sloth employee replied in a monotone voice, "Sorry, that's not my department," and then walked away.

"Never mind him! Rainbow Avalanche!"

Temporarily forgetting the state of my wand, I attempted to launch the spell, only for it to sputter out some desaturated blue smoke.

"Oh," was my simple response.

"Get me those wands!" Ludo called out, as we backed into a pile of boxes.

"Big Boy Diaper Blast!" Star called out as she threw one of the boxes at Ludo's minions. Marco and I did the same.

Going through the hole created by the missing boxes, Marco threw another one at Ludo, knocking him back.

In a different section of the store, Star gasped. "Oh, no! This doesn't look familiar at all!"

"You know what? We tried this your way. Now we're gonna try this the organized way," Marco said.

Marco and I then looked at a nearby store directory, with an indicator that read "You Might Be Here". "Hmm... I think I got it. That elevator will take us right to the charger department! Come on!" Marco said, and we followed him to said elevator and went up.

Meanwhile, Ludo and his monsters were forced to use the other elevator, and were forced to squeeze through.

"Hold the door there, folks!" a large slug monster called, trying to get into the elevator before it closed.

Ludo, thoroughly disgusted, mashed the door close button, muttering, "Oh, close, close, close, close!"

The door started to close at Ludo's request, but the slug monster caught the door, forced it back open, said, "Thank you!" in a friendly manner, and squished into the elevator, pressing them against the back of the elevator. The door closed again, causing slime to seep out of the door.

* * *

As we went up the elevator, a sign was visible reading "Wand Chargers", and Star held her wand delicately. "There it is! Don't worry, little wand, we're almost there."

"Told you I'd get us there," Marco said.

Suddenly the power went out.

"We stopped," Star said.

Luckily we'd stopped just below another floor, and Star pried open the doors, and climbed up hitting her head on a "Not in Service" sign in the process.

After me and Marco caught up to her, another sloth employee addressed us. "Sorry, folks, this elevator's no longer in service. Welcome to the booby trap department."

"Oof," I muttered.

"Please step carefully-"

The sloth employee ended up caught in a large mouse trap contraption, causing me, Star, and Marco to gasp in fear and worry.

"OSHA would have a field day with this place," I commented offhandedly.

"Don't help me up! I get worker's comp for this!" the sloth said.

"Well, whatever makes your vessel buoyant," I said.

Just then, the other elevator opened, and the large slug squeezed out. "See you later, guys! ...Uh, guys?"

Ludo and his monsters were stuck to the back of the large slug, who pulled themselves free.

Ludo fixed his skull hat and called out, "Get them!"

Star, Marco, and I ran away with Ludo's minions following.

"Ow, ow, ow, ow, ow," the sloth employee said as Ludo's monsters ran over him.

Running down a corridor, Star suddenly stopped us. "Blades of doom!" she called out, just as swinging axes appeared and we all dodged them; Bericorn wasn't so lucky, however.

"Massacre darts!"

Dodging the tranquilizer darts were actually easy as Star had called out the threat just as we'd finished crossing it. One of Ludo's other monsters got hit with several darts, causing him to pass out.

"A hallway with walls that smash together periodically!"

The walls ahead of us smashed together, and before they retracted again, we all went around the smashed wall. Big Chicken ended up getting squished by another set of walls behind us.

"We made it!" Marco said as we finally arrived at the wand charger department.

Hundreds, perhaps _thousands_ of different wand chargers lined the shelves; it would probably take days to search through them all and find the right chargers for me and Star.

"There's so many chargers! We'll never find the right one in time!" Star said.

"Also, why would there need to be so many different wand chargers? Magic wands aren't exactly what you would call common," I said.

"No idea, man, but we will find the right chargers for you both. Because this time, we're gonna get organized," Marco said. "I'll figure this out, you two hold off the monsters."

"Right! Come on, bro!" Star said, running off to meet Ludo. She climbed a shelf and knocked it down over Bericorn, jumping off it as it went down and landing on its rear. The giraffe monster headbutted the shelf Star was on, causing her to fly into a higher shelf where a sloth employee was sitting and watching TV.

"You're not gonna tell my boss about this, are you?" he said.

"Is that that new frog show?" Star asked, curious, before the giraffe monster growled at her. Star simply smacked him with her wand.

Meanwhile, Big Chicken and another monster teamed up but I was able to escape, in small part due to an old-looking lady shopper who stopped the second monster.

"Well, well, well. It looks like Mama's having pork chops for supper," she said as she picked him up, placed him into her cart, and walked away.

Back to Marco, who picked up a charger labeled "AAAA Single", but it shocked him leaving him with frizzy hair.

Star met up with me as Big Chicken recovered, turned around, and started shooting eggs from his rear.

"Totally did _not_ wanna see that," I deadpanned while dodging the onslaught of chicken eggs.

As we ran away, Star tripped over another cart, getting her foot stuck. Big Chicken approached and I managed to free Star's foot and hit Big Chicken by flipping the cart around onto him.

Lobster Claws charged at us, but we got out of the way, sending him crashing into a shelf causing several things to fall off, including a box labeled "Beak n' Trim" and a Polly plushie, complete with a mace.

"...Beak N' Trim… Huh? I found it!" Lobster Claws called out, before noticing me absolutely _gushing _over the Polly plushie.

"Look at it! So cute, yet so dangerous! I must have it!" I said, picking up the plushie. "Even if my wand stops working today I'll have no regrets as long as I have you, Polly-wog!"

"_You_ like Amphibia? Wow! Never thought I'd have something in common with you!" Lobster Claws said.

"Wait, _**you**_ like Amphibia? Never thought I'd run into another fan in real life, let alone one from another dimension! Tell me, are Sprig and Ivy, like, literally the cutest thing ever?" I asked, sounding a bit like Lori from _The Loud House_.

"Eh, Sprig's better with Maddie, heck, even Anne might have a shot with him."

"Can't exactly say I'm 100% on board with that, but whatever. It's nice to meet you…"

"The name's Lobster Claws."

"Luma Butterfly… but you probably knew that already."

"Well, I'd better get this to the boss," Lobster Claws said, referring to the Beak N' Trim.

"Okay, see you soon. Hopefully we'll get to hang out, and I don't mean while Ludo tries to get our wands. I mean, an actual thing, like we'll watch the season finale together next Thursday or something," I offered.

"Sounds like a plan… anyways, gotta run."

At that, Lobster Claws ran off to show Ludo the Beak N' Trim while I studied another nearby shelf crammed with other _Amphibia _merchandise, including life size plushies, action figures, costumes, and other things depicting almost everybody from the show.

"What would Jackie say about a couple of frog plushies?" I said, eventually settling on several plushies - a Sprig plush for myself, the Polly one from before for Star, an Ivy plush for Jackie, a Maddie plush for Janna, and an Anne plush for Marco.

Just then, Star yelled, "Marco, where are you?"

"I found the chargers!" he called out in reply.

I continued back to where they were, trying to carry my wand and all the plushes I'd picked out.

"It took me a while, but once I figured out they were using the metric system-" Marco continued.

"Cool story, bro, but give Star the charger already!" I said.

Marco did so, and gave Star one with a crystal heart design - the same one as the one on her wand before. Marco also traded a couple of the plushes for a second charger; a cobalt blue model with a diamond shaped crystal on it.

"Seriously, Luma. Frog plushies?" Marco asked me, unimpressed.

"I love _Amphibia_, all right? Also, I was gonna give you and Star one, so you're welcome," I replied defensively, giving Marco the Anne plush.

"...Thanks?" Marco said.

"Yes! I got it!" Star said excitedly.

Star was then knocked away by Ludo, causing her to drop her wand and it ended up in Ludo's hands.

"Yes! I got it! Finally, evil is in the palm of my hand! Princess Blast Your Face Off!" Ludo said.

All Star's wand did was puff out green smoke in the shape of a skull.

"Spinning Dizzy Death Blast!"

Nothing happened.

"Ummm… kapow!" Ludo said becoming increasingly nervous.

Still nothing.

"What's wrong with this thing?" Ludo said, shaking the wand.

I simply kicked him away, sending the wand back to Star.

Then, simultaneously, we attached our chargers to our respective wands, which returned to their former happy, colorful state; Star's wand opening up again to show a much healthier Millhorse running on its treadmill once more.

Star chucked, "So cute."

"It is… Wanna see inside mine?" I asked, opening my sapphire crystal to show a light blue Millhorse running on its treadmill while the sound of ocean waves played.

"Whoa, that is cute, bro."

"Yeah… Fantastic Exit Beam!"

The blast of magic propelled us the other direction, away from Ludo and towards the exit.

"You gonna pay for the chargers and plushies, guys?" a sloth employee said.

"Nah, put it on our arch nemesis' tab. He kinda owes us," I replied.

"You realize we can just walk, right?" Marco said.

"Sure, but this is way cooler."

"I had it right in my claws!" Ludo said disappointed.

"So you're the one paying for this mess?" the sloth asked Ludo.

Sure enough, almost half the store was in shambles, which was impressive given the store's massive size.

Ludo chuckled nervously, "Ummm, I must have dropped my wallet in the fight…"

The sloth growled and began to pounce on Ludo, clearly angry.

* * *

We emerged from a dimensional portal back into Star's room, and I went to stash the plushes away for later, keeping the Sprig plush out for now, hugging it, and throwing the Polly plush onto Star's bed.

"We're back. You see, Star, it pays to be organized. If you just listened to me-" Marco began.

"Hey, shush. Look, Marco…" Star pointed out what looked like a floating mini vac, seemingly possessed by pink and sky blue magic.

"My mini vac!" Marco said.

"It's possessed… I'm gonna touch it," Star said, entranced.

"Wait, blue magic? Let's look here," I said, grabbing the mini vac, and opening it, pulling out two wand chargers identical to the ones we'd gotten from Quest Buy.

"Wait, hold up - my charger?" Star said.

"Uh... whoops. I must have accidentally sucked them up when I was cleaning. Sorry. Guess you each have two now," Marco said.

"But how did Luma's charger end up in here? I only saw you vacuuming the bathroom," Star asked.

"I was cleaning the couch earlier, so I guess you were right about something, Luma. Maybe it did end up under the cushions without you noticing," Marco explained.

"Happens to the best of us," I said. "Besides, as you said, it wouldn't hurt to have an extra, or else we'd have to go through _that_ fiasco once more if this happens again"

Star nodded in agreement.

"Well, anyone up for some _Amphibia_? There's a new episode tomorrow, and I wanna catch you two up before the big finale next Thursday!" I said.

"Sure thing, Luma," Marco said, and him and Star followed me downstairs. Marco tripped on Star's mace on the way downstairs, but he simply sighed, got up, and continued to follow me and Star.

And all throughout the night, croaking frogs, screams, laughter, and music were all that was heard throughout the Diaz residence, until it died down just after 3 AM and was replaced by snoring. Angie and Raphael were up early - apparently they couldn't sleep that night for some reason - and blushed at an especially cute sight - Star and Marco snuggling together on the couch, clutching each other and the Polly and Anne plushies, while I laid on the other reclinable chair with my Sprig plushie in my arms. Angie shushed Raphael, then pulled out her phone, took a picture of us, and tweeted it, barely able to hold back her own uncontrollable, childish giggling, before she and Raphael made their way back upstairs.

Outside, the setting moon glowed a slight red color for a few moments, before it faded away.


	9. The Diaz's Fantasy Adventure

Tuesday, after school, at Stony Creek Park…

"Powder Snow Blast! Bullet Seed Blast! Narwhal Blast!"

Me and Ludo's monsters were engaged in a heated battle, but as usual, Ludo was losing badly, despite the fact that I was alone while Star and Marco hung out back home.

"Get me that WAND!" Ludo yelled out, clearly frustrated. "How hard is it to just-"

He was cut off by a Dagger Crystal Heart Attack sending him flying into Deer Beard and Big Chicken.

The two headed monster charged, but I dodged out of the way and kicked it in the gut a few times before tossing him into the other monsters.

"I really don't feel like wrecking the park today, so if you wanna live, go back to where you came from," I said, letting my wand emit a frosty aura into the surrounding area.

Ludo groaned loudly, but opened a portal and dragged himself and his monsters through it without another word.

"That's what I thought," I said, and his portal finally closed.

"Now, time to just relax..."

* * *

About half an hour passed, before I remembered that I needed to see Sherry about something regarding this Friday's Butterfly Fan Club meeting, and so I met her at the library and picked up a rough copy of the itinerary, which consisted mostly of Blood Moon Ball lead-up gossip. At this point, the ball was less than a month away, so I made a note for myself to ask Tom Lucitor, Star's ex-boyfriend, for an invite for me and Jackie. Knowing Tom, though, he'll likely just try to get Star to dance with him in an attempt to get back together, but in the short time knowing her, I've noticed she's more interested in Marco, even if neither of them wanted to admit it.

After picking up food at County Fair, I started walking home, but suddenly, shrilly upbeat horns played, indicating my phone was ringing. Checking the caller ID revealed Moon was calling so I hit "answer".

"Hello?"

_"Hi, Luma! So happy the interdimensional plan we set up works okay! How are you?"_

"Great, great. Yeah, Reflectacore can be a huge hassle as far as customer service goes, but what can you do? I've already had to deal with that on Earth, but it's nowhere near as bad as on Mewni."

_"Oh, boy. Don't get me started."_

Another voice on the other end spoke up, _"So, how's Star doing?"_

"Oh, hey, River! Uh, Star's back home with Marco. I think he said something about his parent's anniversary being today, so he's probably gonna stay in and celebrate or something. As for Star, though, she's probably messing around in some other dimen- I mean, with some friends on Earth. Yeah, that's what she's doing."

_Whooo. Saved it._

_"Mind if we three-way call her? We need to talk to you both about something,"_ said Moon.

"Sure, I don't mind."

* * *

Unfortunately, this "talk" turned into River explaining, in great detail, about some sort of nobility retreat that he's hosting later that day about proper throne posture.

"_...Of course, very few are aware of the serious matter, so I'll be traveling afar to give an all-day lecture explaining the proper throne posture. Slouched shoulders are an epidemic among nobility these days…_" River droned on.

I could barely hear Star mutter, "_So, this is what it's like to be bored to death…_"

_I feel ya, Star. I feel ya._

Suddenly Moon shouted, "_Star! Are those dimensional scissors?_"

I could hear Star shuffle around her room, probably trying to hide Pony's dimensional scissors from Moon. _Busted!_

"_Uh… No, no, of course not! Just normal Earth scissors, see?_" she tried to cover herself.

"And why would either of us need those anyway? We have everything we need on Earth!" I added.

_"Good, cause neither of you are to leave Earth_," Moon said to us sternly.

Star nervously laughed, "I would never think of it!"

"_Glad to hear!_" River began but then his watch went off. "_I'm sorry, your mother and I must cut you two short; I have lecture things to do!_"

Moon sighed, "_Oh, him and his lectures…_"

"Okay, bye!" me and Star called out to a departing Moon and River, before the line went dead.

* * *

I finally returned home about five minutes later, and met Star, Marco, Rafael, and Angie in the living room. Marco was holding a gift box while Angie was playing absentmindedly with Rafael's chest hair.

_Oh, crap! Wasn't today Raf and Angie's anniversary? I completely forgot!_

Marco cleared his throat, getting the enamored couple's attention.

"Oh, hello kids!" Rafael greeted us.

"Happy anniversary, you guys!" Marco said, giving them the gift box.

"Ooh!"

Rafael and Angie accepted the gift and opened it.

"Wow, Marco. More… fanny packs," Angie said, slightly disappointed, as she held out red and green fanny packs.

"Okay, I know you guys are non believers, but these are way cooler than last year's," Marco explained, pulling up his hoodie to show a teal fanny pack identical to Rafael and Angie's. Marco opened his and continued, "They have everything you need, like a dilemma whistle, non-drowsy antihistamine, and a space blanket made for two!"

"Oh, yes! You know how much we love to travel and see the sights!" Rafael said.

"Oh, Marco. You put so much thought into this. Gifts are such a great way to show how much you really care about someone. I didn't think it was possible to love you more than I do right now!" Angie explained.

I could see Star getting fidgety while Angie was talking before she shouted, "Annnnd I'M GIVING YOU A TRIP TO MEWNI!" Star shouted.

"**WE'RE GOING TO MEWNI?!**" Rafael and Angie shouted back. They couldn't believe what was happening!

"Star… That's a wonderful idea!" I said. Indeed, it would be a great opportunity to learn more about what was apparently my home, even while living here in the town I've been in for years now.

"And we can use our new fanny packs!" Marco seemed somewhat on board with the idea as well.

"We go now, right?" Rafael asked Star.

"Right now?" Angie added.

"I want to go right now!"

"Can we go right now?"

* * *

"Welcome to Mewni!" Star said.

"A place of life, liberty, and corn!" I added, quoting one of Star's books on Mewnian history she'd brought with her to Earth.

Rafael and Angie rapidly took pictures with digital cameras.

"Is this where you grew up?" Angie asked Star.

"No, me and Luma live waaaayyyy up there," she replied, directing Angie's attention to the top of Butterfly Castle.

The castle was _huge_. It was built into the side of some sort of jagged rock formation by the appropriately named Hemera, the Builder, Fourth Queen of Mewni. The towers went up at least 100 stories, and I honestly couldn't tell which was taller: Butterfly Castle, or One World Trade Center in New York City. The domes at the top resembled onions or Christmas ornaments and each one had flags waving on the top of each dome. '_I'll bet if terrestrial TV and radio existed on Mewni, they'd have literally no issues with reception at all. Those flagpoles would make great antennas,_'I thought to myself. '_In fact, you could put an LTE tower or contract some broadcast company for a radio or TV station up there. Isn't that how they did things on Earth?_'

"Ooohhhhh! Let's go there!" I heard the Diazes say, clearly impressed with the view.

"Honestly," I began, remembering the conversation with Moon from earlier, "there's way better things to do that doesn't involve going to the castle. To be honest, they'd probably wouldn't even let you in. But… there's plenty of time for a genuine Mewnian experience right here!"

Although… "right here" wasn't exactly the definition of "clean" or "sanitary" - quite the opposite, actually. While the houses surrounding Butterfly Castle looked pretty sturdy, the streets looked horrendous (by Earth standards, anyway). Piles of what I hoped was dirt were scattered across the area, and several goats bleated in a corral nearby. It was like a picture out of medieval times, and it wouldn't look out of place in either _Skyrim_ or _Game of Thrones_.

"Oh, look! An open air market!" Star called out.

"Get your hydra trail apples!"  
"Half-off shrunken goblin heads!"  
"Want pickled giant's toe? It's good!"

"The perfect Christmas gifts," I deadpanned.

As we continued exploring the village, Star suddenly gasped, and pulled me and Marco into a pen full of goats.

"Star, what the-" Marco began.

"Our dad's here," Star said nervously.

"What the heck would he be doing here? Doesn't he have to be at some dumb lecture?" I asked.

"Who cares? If he sees me, I am dead!" Star said.

"Breathe…" Marco tried to get Star calmed down. "Just tell my parents the fanny packs are from all of us, and we can go home!"

"No can do, Marco. I actually haven't been properly introduced to Mewnnniiii…" I stopped, suddenly nervous. If I revealed I wasn't even from Mewni right now, River finding us would be the least of my problems. I promised myself I'd tell them when the time is right… and now was not that time. "...iiiian culture yet. I'm literally the Prince of Laziness, dude. I haven't found time to be outside the castle for longer than 15 minutes, _if that_. But now I'm very intrigued! I need to see more!"

"Luma's right, and besides, your parents are actually enjoying my gift! I don't wanna ruin this for them!" Star said.

Meeting back up with the Diazes, Star continued Rafael and Angie's tour. "Okay, next, I wanna show you… oh! Mewni's natural beauty!"

Star directed their view towards a dark, thick forest with a sign that read-

"Forest of Certain Death!?" Marco yelled nervously.

"Oh, that's just an old name from the days of Queen Solaria. Don't look too much into it and you'll be fine," I explained.

_It really is shocking just how much I know about Mewnian history, and I'm not even from this godforsaken place!_

"Sounds thrilling" Rafael said.

"We love nature!" Angie added.

* * *

As we walked along a trail in the forest, Raphael and Angie continued to take pictures while Star continued their tour.

"So it's really kind of important to keep moving. There's a bleeding willow tree…" Star explained.

"Ooh!"

A caterpillar type monster slithered past me and Marco, causing Marco to yelp in fear.

"...Here's a carnivore blossom…"

Then a swarm of odd-looking but rather large bees flew by. Marco ducked, but I couldn't help but be intrigued.

"Hmm… I wonder if there's some kind of size altering crystal in these woods, like, from _Gravity Falls_," I thought out loud.

"Are you guys seeing any of this?" Marco asked, in a bit of a panic.

"See it? Can't take our eyes off it!" Rafael said.

"Best anniversary ever! Best anniversary ever! Best anniversary ever!" Rafael and Angie chanted as they went ahead with Star, leaving me and Marco behind.

"Oh, yeah, nice try, path!" Marco said, taking out gum from his fanny pack and threw it onto some type of giant Venus flytrap thing embedded into the ground.

It closed up and began chewing the gum, allowing safe passage around it.

"Hey, guys! Did you see what I did with that bubble gum?" Marco called out.

No answer.

"I gotta admit, that was a smart idea there, dude," I said.

"Well, thanks, man."

We eventually did catch up with Star and the Diazes, as they took a few seconds to admire some flowers nearby.

"Oh, wow. These flowers are lovely," Angie said.

"Not as lovely as you, dear!" Rafael replied, taking pictures of Angie.

Star chased after them, as me and Marco stopped by the flowers.

"Raf's right, these flowers are-" I began, but then the flowers rose from the ground, revealing a group of monsters with the flowers as heads.

Marco frantically searched his fanny pack, but suddenly my phone went off, distracting them for a bit.

This gave me an idea. Pulling up a frequency generator app, I maxed out my phone's volume and began outputting a high pitched tone that made the flower monsters retreat back into the ground. Marco also rubbed his ears in slight pain.

"Frequency generator app. Great for messing around with the laser puppies, or for white noise for sleeping," I explained.

Marco only nodded.

As for why my phone went off in the first place, it turned out to be a Discord notification - someone set me cute fan art of Sprig and Ivy from Amphibia. I quickly sent back a reply.

"Wait… how do I even have bars here!? This makes absolutely _no_ sense!"

Now granted, it was a 3G signal instead of an LTE signal, but even then, it was better than what I'd get throughout most of Stony Creek. And we were _in the middle of the woods_! On top of that, according to my phone's status bar, I wasn't even roaming!

"...Does T-Mobile have coverage on Mewni somehow?" I asked nobody in particular. "I need to look into this at some point."

"...These tracks are fresh," someone called out from nearby.

I looked up from my phone to see River examining on the ground, accompanied by Manfred and another servant.

"Oh, shoot! He's onto us!" I said nervously and hid behind a fallen tree, where Star was already hiding.

"Nothing makes you feel more like a man than going to the bathroom in the woods," Marco said, walking towards us.

As much as I had to agree with Marco, there were far more pressing matters, so I pulled Marco into cover.

"We gotta go. It's not safe here! Look, our dad is right there!" Star said.

"Star's right, Marco. This is getting too risky! Let's get Raf and Angie and head back to Earth," I added.

Star checked the area, and after determining the coast was clear, she called out to the older Diazes, "Okay, Mr. and Mrs. Diaz, that concludes the tour. Hope you've enjoyed-"

But Rafael and Angie were nowhere to be found.

"Mr. and Mrs. Diaz?" Star called out again.

"Where did they go?" Marco asked.

"Hey, look, footprints…" I pointed out.

The footprints lead to some sort of skull shaped rock formation that formed itself into an underground cave, not unlike _The Goonies_.

"Look, it's their stuff!" Marco pointed out. Rafael and Angie's clothes and fanny packs were strewn around. "...But where are they?"

A small breeze blew about, and Star went to investigate, holding her wand, which she used as a flashlight, into a small hole.

"Umm… Star? That's not a…" I panicked.

Another breeze, and then it sucked Star's hair in too, revealing that this was no ordinary hole. Star removed her wand and shined it on the face of the hydra, which woke up, revealed more of its heads as it stood up, and roared at Star.

Me, Star, and Marco all screamed in terror.

"Let's get outta here!"

"Like, now!"

"No, that thing ate the Diazes! Look out!"

Star shoved me and Marco out of the way as the hydra charged, and one of its heads ate Star.

"Star! Vengeance!" I yelled as a battle cry and charged up a Bullet Seed Blast with my wand.

Marco reached his hands into one of the hydra's nostrils and grabbed Star, pulling her out.

"Super Rainbow Dolphin Slam!" Star fired a spell, knocking back the hydra.

Another of the hydra's heads approached from the opposite end, only to be quickly dispatched by one of my Bullet Seed Blasts.

Star shot a Narwhal Blast at another head as we tried to make our escape, the hydra chasing us.

"Shoot! A dead end!" I called out, continuing to fire Bullet Seed Blasts at the hydra to stall it.

However, one of its heads started a flamethrower attack, and we narrowly escaped becoming grilled butterflies. Marco called out, "Quick, under here!" and pulled out the space blanket from his fanny pack, and proceeded to hide under it as the hydra fired another flamethrower attack.

"Ugh, that hydra is a legit threat, but this will buy us some time. Say, Marco, you got anything else in that thing?" I asked.

"Well, I pretty much used up everything when I was schoolin' the Forest of Certain Death. Well, everything except for this miniature _miniature_ book of knots," Marco explained, holding a book of knots about the size of an SD card.

"Heh heh, so cute," Star commented.

"Hope that comes with a PDF, cause that would- wait, did you say 'knots'?" I questioned, getting an idea. Star realized what I was implying as well.

"Yeah, why?" Marco asked, but as soon as he did, he got the memo.

Marco uncovered us and began running in one direction, Star in another, while I ran underneath the hydra, calling out things like "Bet ya' can't catch me" and "Hey, over here!"

The hydra heads chased us, as we played our fun little game of cat and mouse; the idea was to get the hydra heads tangled up with each other like a bunch of A/V cords. I even went the extra mile and fired off some of my more flashier spells. One of them involved casting a blue diamond-shaped barrier across myself, which I've yet to properly name, but it was otherwise a blatant rip off of Nayru's Love from Ocarina of Time. I'd have to see later if it had the same protective attributes as in the game, but for now, just showing off will work fine.

Eventually the hydra couldn't stretch its heads out very far, and the knot was completed, causing the hydra to choke and pass out.

Star began cheering at our victory, but another triumphant cry could be heard, causing me and Star to freeze. My reimplementation of Nayru's Love began wearing off at this point, fizzling out in a fashion similar to the game, right down to the sound effects.

River was seen on a nearby cliff, wearing nothing but a loincloth and crudely made boots, and holding what appeared to be a spear over his head like a barbarian. River jumped down, but before he could do anything to the hydra, he noticed me and Star.

"Star? Luma?" he addressed us.

"My parents are still inside that thing!" Marco called, and River proceeded to cut a door out of the hydra's stomach, freeing several Mewmans, who cheered at their freedom. However, Rafael and Angie were not among them.

"They're not here? Quick, to the large intestine, before they're fully digested!" Marco said, rummaging through the hydra's innards.

For a moment, we all looked down, at the implications of Rafael and Angie being killed, and it being our fault, before two people giggling nearby could be heard.

"Wait, that sounds like…"

Sure enough, the older Diazes were still alive, and apparently oblivious to the battle that just occurred, as they sat in a natural hot spring nearby.

"There's nothing like a steamy bath after a long day of exploration," Rafael said.

"Mom! Dad!" Marco called out, approaching them as me and Star followed.

"You're alive!" Star added.

But then Marco noticed… "And you're only wearing the fanny packs."

"Actually, they're not even wearing _that_," I pointed out the fanny packs on the ground near their other belongings.

"Ah, King Butterfly! Care for a dip?" Rafael asked.

The two then started giggling again.

"As inviting as that sounds, I need a minute with my kids," River said, pulling me and Star away.

"Star, Luma, you know you're not to leave Earth! What are you doing here?"

Me and Star tag teamed a stammered explanation.

"Okay, okay! Uh, but the thing is, it's not exactly out fault!" I began.

"It was their anniversary..."  
"And they were like 'we really like to travel'..."  
"And there was a porcupine…"  
"3G in the middle of the forest..."  
"It all started with the fanny packs…"

Suddenly I realized something.

"Hey! Aren't you supposed to be giving some 'boring lecture'?"

"Uh, yes! W-We got a little lost. The directions were, uh… magical GPS, umm… it all started with fanny packs…" River stammered out just as me and Star did just a second ago.

River finally caved with a sigh. "There is no lecture... Being king is exhausting. Every once in a while, I need to sneak away and fight monsters. It keeps me sane. And it's good for my throne posture," River explained.

"Hmm, I can actually see that. As a great man once said, 'nothing makes you feel more alive than when you're almost dead.' I guess Star gets her spontaneity from you, Dad," I replied with a nod.

"Yeah, I guess so! Cool… cool!" Star agreed.

"I suppose so," River also agreed.

We quickly shared a laugh.

"...So, are you gonna tell Mom you saw us?" Star asked.

"I didn't see you and you didn't see me. But just this once," River said.

"Huuggsss!" Star, River, and I formed our signature Johansen group bearhug (patent pending), before River left with Manfred and his other servant, with a final "Farewell!"

"It's cool that you guys bonded and you got to see that side of your dad," Marco commented as he approached us.

But then Rafael walked across the area, completely naked. I quickly turned away, pulled out my phone and frantically clicked on a random episode of Amphibia, not caring which one it was as long as I didn't have to see _that_.

Marco was covering Star's eyes as he said, "Wish I hadn't seen that side of _my_ dad."

"Yeah. Me neither."


	10. Brittney's Party on a Bus

At Stony Creek Middle School…

"There they are!"  
"Hey, Star and Luma!"  
"Hey there, Butterflies!"  
"What's going on, girl?"  
"How are 'ya Luma?"

Several students were greeting us as we walked down the hallway. Admittedly I had zero experience with being the popular kid in school, due to my shyness, but apparently being given a magic wand from another dimension - or, perhaps, just the fact that you _are_ from another dimension to begin with - turned you into the center of attention.

"Star? Luma? Will one of you be my science partner?" somebody asked, holding a beaker which he dropped, causing a minor explosion.

"You bet!" Star said. I smiled, but said nothing.

"Butterflies! I baked you a pie!" another student said.

"Ooh, nice!" I said.

"Guys, I ate the pie!" a third student said as he did exactly that.

"Knew you would!" Star said. Me and Star gave them high fives.

"Star, I wallpapered my locker with pictures of you!" a girl said with a raspy voice. She was wearing a homemade headband which looked a bit like twin unicorn horns, and a t-shirt with a star on it. Her backpack sorta looked like Star's wand, and she had face paint on which resembled Star's cheekmarks.

"That's weird… because I wallpapered my locker with pictures of _you!_" Star replied, showing her.

"Yeah!" the two high fived.

"Ohmygosh! Luma, I'm your biggest fan! Sign my phone case!" another boy yelled.

"You're LumaFan15, right?" I asked as I gave him my autograph.

"Yeah! "Course you'd know!" he replied. "My real name's Carlos, by the way; Daron, or Starfan13 is my sister," he added, referring to Star's fangirl.

"Those are nice names," I said.

Star then approached a line of students. "Ooh, a line! I love lines! ...Why are we in line?"

"Only for the most important social event of the year: Brittney Wong's birthday party!" Sabrina replied, as she pointed up to a blimp which read "Brittney Wong's Birthday Party - No Losers Allowed".

"Pass. I never liked stuck-up rich people. Besides, I have better things to do tonight," I said, walking away.

The rest of the day passed uneventful, and when I arrived home, I pulled up Pokemon White 2 on my 3DS and began playing.

After about an hour, I closed down my 3DS and opened a PDF of the spellbook which I had made by Mewni's archivists. At least this way, I didn't have to deal with Glossyrick - or the "lock" on Eclipsa's chapter.

"Hmm… 'Festivia's Never-Ending Fireworks', huh? Note to self: file away for New Year's," I thought out loud.

Suddenly, Star burst into our room, and called out, "Hey, bro! You coming with me to Brittney's birthday party? It'll be fun, I hope!"

"Well, I don't like her very much to be honest, but whatever. A party's a party, so sure. I can be your plus one - well, two if you count Marco," I replied.

Grabbing my wand, my phone, and Pony's scissors, I followed Star out the door, meeting up with Marco.

"It's so weird that Brittney invited us to her birthday," Marco commented.

"I know, right? And all she wanted was a flying pig!" Star replied.

At that point, I took a few moments to poof up a royal blue hoodie identical to Marco's except in color, as it was still currently only a few weeks into May, and overnight low temperatures were staying pretty chilly. And that's saying something coming from someone who uses a lot of ice-based spells.

"Oh, look! The party bus!" Star called out, as indeed, Brittney's party bus was approaching.

"Party bus? But I get carsick!" Marco called back.

"It's not a car, it's a bus!" Star replied.

I facepalmed but said nothing.

The party bus drove right past us, but Star paid no mind to that, simply firing off a "Rabbit Rocket Blast" taking her and Marco onto the roof of the bus. Using my own magic, I fired off a Bitter Blizzard Blast to catch up with them.

* * *

I could hear some really bad pop music playing from inside the party bus, and an even worse karaoke performance as well. Not as bad as Oskar's keytar "playing" but still pretty terrible. (At least Oskar was actually getting better at it though.)

Star chose that moment to blast us through the roof of the bus, with us landing inside.

Brittney gasped at our sudden appearance, while Marco groaned in slight pain from the impact. Star and I got up right away though, completely unscathed.

"See, Marco? That was way more fun than taking the stairs!" Star said.

"Wait, there were stairs?" I was legitimately suprised. How in the multiverse was a bus of any kind supposed to have stairs (unless it's those double deckers that you'd see in London)?

Brittney simply scowled at us.

"For the record, this was _not_ my idea," I felt the need to clarify. "I like your little hat though. It's cute."

Star noticed Brittney's headwear as well. "Oh, sweet! A little, tiny hat. Cool. I can make those!" she said, then zapped her head to make an identical hat appear on her head. I decided to do the same.

"Star and Luma Butterfly. What are you doing here?" Brittney asked coldly.

"Nothin' yet. I just got here!" Star replied.

"Again, not my idea…" I backed away from that catfight just waiting to happen.

* * *

After playing on my phone for a bit, Marco nudged me on my right.

"Hey, Luma. Guess who's here!"

He pointed out Jackie, sitting on the other end of the bus, also on her phone.

"You gonna go talk to her, or-"

Suddenly the bus screeched to a stop, causing Marco to gag slightly.

"Marco, I know you still have a crush on her. If you wanna talk to her, go ahead!" I replied.

"Nah, bro. I was getting nowhere with her."

"Well, are you interested in anyone else at least? ...If you don't mind me asking, of course."

"Well, there is one person, but I don't really know if I'm ready to say yet…"

* * *

"Let me sing you some birthday tunes with my mouth sounds!" Star yelled, then began to beatbox very badly, much to Brittney's annoyance.

Heading to the front of the bus, Brittney yelled at the driver. "Driver, pull over this bus at once!"

"Lady, I can't. We're in bumper-to-bumper traffic," he responded. "Some doofus got into an accident with a tractor-trailer up ahead, so you're gonna have to wait until the next exit."

"This is why I told my dad I wanted a party jet. Hmph…"

...But I can't drive a jet…"

Brittney returned to the crowd. "Okay, now, to my _invited_ guests, who wants to watch me open my presents?"

No response.

"I'm waiting…"

Several more seconds passed before somebody simply called out, "Whoo!"

"Good enough."

* * *

Star met back with us after a bit. "Hey, guys! How's the party?"

Both me and Marco let out a totally-not-excited "Yay…"

"Yeah, I don't think so either," Star picked up on our boredom easily.

"Why don't we get off at the next bus stop?" Marco offered.

"Well, we're gonna be in Pittsburgh in about an hour, so that won't happen for now…" I said.

"And besides, these people are miserable. They need us now," Star said.

"Hey, Star, that won't really be-"

The bus suddenly stopped again, and Marco gagged, about ready to barf.

"Feeling okay, Diaz?" I asked.

"I told you, I get motion sickness. Don't worry," he replied. Finding a chair, he sat down. "I just need to sit here, stare out this window, and never turn my head."

"You do that, homie. I'm gonna get this party started!" Star exclaimed as she walked away.

"...So, you're sure you want me to talk to Jackie?" I asked Marco, continuing our conversation from before.

"100%," he reaffirmed. "And don't worry about me, I already have someone else in mind."

"Well, if you feel like talking about it, I'm all ears."

Marco tried to pat my back in response, only for the chair to then, which annoyed Marco more than anything.

"Whoa! Who puts a swivel chair on a bus?!"

Then as the bus began to turn, the chair rolled away.

"Whoa... With wheels? Seriously?!"

* * *

"Ugh, it's not designer," Brittney complained about a purse which was one of her gifts. She tossed said purse away, hitting Sabrina, one of the other cheerleaders, in the face.

"...You're welcome," she responded.

Star returned to Brittney. "Oh, hey, everybody! I just want you all to know I can make little hats," she pointed out her headwear. "...And also dogs," she added, poofing out another laser puppy, which shot someone nearby.

"Check this out!" Star said, as the puppy peformed an admittedly, _extremely cool_ laser light show with text reading "Happy Birthday, Brittney". The crowd loved it, and someone even called out, "Wish _my_ dog could spell that good!"

Brittney simply swatted the dog away with her hair.

"Geez, if she wasn't so uptight, she'd be almost like Shantae," I thought out loud.

"Tell me about it…" a voice said nearby.

I turned to find Jackie, with a glass in her hand and her skateboard in the other.

She continued, "Maybe if she dyes her hair blonde, we can call her Sasha instead!"

"Hey, Jackie. And yeah, she does act a lot like Sasha when you really think about it. You think Brittney would date a toad like she does though?"

Jackie laughed at my statement, with me joining in after.

"Maybe she does! I haven't heard anything that would suggest otherwise," she replied, still laughing a bit.

But when that tapered off, I found myself in a familiar predicament: not being able to think of something to say, and being afraid of just looking dumb. About a minute passed, during which Marco can be heard gagging once more. Jackie eventually spoke up, breaking the awkward silence.

"So… what's been going on with you, dude?"

"Well, not a whole lot… but yeah. You'd think someone with a magic wand would be more energetic and fun, but not me. It was pretty great when I first came here, but after a while, it's gotten kinda… mehhh…"

"Yeah, I totally get it. I feel the same way sometimes too, and trust me, it's the worst."

"Oh, boy. You have no idea…"

Jackie nodded in agreement.

"But at least you have Star and, now, Marco to keep you company, dude. I bet there's rarely a dull day when they're around."

"That's true, I guess."

"Hey, do you wanna hang out with me sometime? It won't be like a date, but-"

"I would love to," I cut her off, taking her hand and shaking it.

"Sweet. Call me and we'll work things out. Now c'mon, let's go meet up with Marco and your sis."

"Fair warning: Marco might throw up. He's been sick all night."

"I'll take my chances."

However, before we could do anything else...

* * *

"Hey, Brittney! I know how to make your party more fun. Rubber Sparkle Bounce House!" Star yelled. The interior of the party bus then changed into a bounce house. Everyone proceeded to start bouncing everywhere.

* * *

"See what I told you? C'mon, let's bounce!" Jackie took my hand and we did just that, joining the other partygoers. I couldn't help but fall harder for Jackie during that time, and it wasn't just the super bouncy party bus.

_Oh… if only she feels the same…_

* * *

After a while, the bouncing subsided as everyone headed up to the roof - apparently Star had magicked up a hot tub up there. I stayed behind, catching up on _The Loud House_ episodes on my phone.

Marco groaned nearby, looking positively green as he limped up to me. Then, Star joined us, sinking down on the chair on my other side.

"Oh, Luma, Marco,... It's hard work making everybody happy…" Star groaned tiredly.

"Can you make my tummy happy?" Marco groaned in response.

"I think there's Sprite in the cooler," I said to Marco.

The bus stopped once more. By this point, we were in Monroeville, just off the Parkway East.

"Finally. End of the line for the prince, the princess, and the puke boy. Now get off my bus!" Brittney yelled.

Marco zipped off right away. "Oh, thank you! Fresh air! Smells just like… monsters?"

"Oh, that's probably just the-" I began, but saw what was outside - none other than Ludo and his monsters.

"Get them!" he called.

Falling back a bit, me and Star prepared to fight as Ludo and his army boarded the bus.

"What is going on here?!" Brittney demanded.

"Not to worry, this sort of thing happens, kinda comes with the territory of being a magical prince," I stammered. Brittney simply scoffed and walked away.

"Three Eyed Potato Baby! Take the wheel!" Ludo ordered, the monster growled in response.

"She says she wants a jet-" the driver began, before Three Eyed Potato Baby tossed him aside and sat down. He then buckled up, checked the mirrors, and swiped the driver's hat and wore it, spending extra time making sure it was straightened out.

"Will you get on with it!?" Ludo yelled.

Three Eyed Potato Baby calmly put the bus into gear, and pulled out of the bus stop. Then suddenly he slammed onto the gas, pulling back onto the Parkway East.

"What's your game?" Star demanded.

Ludo grabbed a can of Mountain Dew and opened it with his beak. "I'm gonna bus-jack this bus!"

"That's not exactly the smartest plan in the world there, boy," I said, in a slight taunting tone.

"Hey, it's a great plan! Shut up! Oh, just... just get them…"

Star and I led the monsters onto the roof and began fighting them off. I started firing Bullet Seed Blasts, but the monsters dodged most of them, causing them to hit oncoming traffic in the other lanes. Star at least got off a couple Rainbow Blasts before kicking away the two headed monster who had me cornered.

"Nice assist, Star!"

"No problem, bro!"

At one point, I had knocked away the giraffe monster, who bit the railing at the back of the bus to stay upright. However, he was now running like that on the road behind us.

Star Narwhal Blasted Deer Beard off the edge, onto the window. He climbed back up using the banners on the bus's side, only for a combined Narwhal Blast and Bullet Seed Blast to knock him further, directly into the passenger seat of a passing convertible, the driver of which spoke in Spanish that I couldn't really understand… something about being a hot single mom? _That guy is in for the time of his life in that case._

Buff Frog charged at that point, hoping to catch me off guard, but I swiftly retaliated with a Wild Fairy Wind that knocked him into the seashell shaped hot tub which closed on top of him. Star also dispatched Big Chicken with a Rainbow Fist Punch while that was happening.

Taking notice of the giraffe monster, he'd propped himself onto the bumper, allowing himself to raise his head to meet ours… until-

"Star! Get down!"

Me and Star did that, and the giraffe grinned, thinking he might have a chance, until his head smacked right into the ceiling of the Squirrel Hill Tunnel, leaving him in tremendous pain.

At that point, I noticed something at the other end of the tunnel. It appeared to be Spikeballs and another monster standing next to a dimensional portal.

"Star, look!"

"Oh, no!"

Careful not to scrape our heads off on the tunnel ceiling, me and Star went back inside the bus.

"Marco! Take the wheel!"

Marco tried his best not to puke violently as he made his way up to Three Eyed Potato Baby. He gave a swift karate chop to the monster, knocking him away. His head landed on the gas, making the bus travel faster, but Marco steered the bus away from the dimensional portal, over a bridge, and onto Forward Ave, flipping the whole way.

All the partygoers were surprisingly unharmed as they exited the heavily damaged party bus.

Ludo's monsters, however, were in a lot of pain, and the giraffe monster appeared to be in a neck brace.

"Why did only we get hurt?" one called out.

Marco immediately dashed towards a trash can and threw up in it.

"**Out of the way!**" Ludo called out after him, and took turns with Marco throwing up.

"Sick! Party animals!" me and Jackie commented simultaneously. We chuckled at the coincidence.

"Oh, this is horrible! My party is ruined!" Brittney complained.

"Oh, man, Brittney! Hot tub, bounce house…" a jock called out.

"Laser puppies and an epic fight!" another girl added.

"Best party ever!" everyone yelled.

"It hurts all over!" Sabrina finished, as paramedics hauled her away.

"Just so you know, I also do quinceañeras," Star told Brittney, who scoffed, whipped her hair at Star, and walked away.

"Man, Star, that party was the jam. You know, if I ever have a party, you're gonna be my party planner," Marco praised Star.

"You know, the Pirates have a game tonight against the Mariners, and we're not far from PNC Park. I say we go!" I suggested. Everyone, including Star and Marco, yelled in agreement.

"This party's not over yet!"  
"Let's do it all night!"  
"Butterflies! Butterflies! Butterflies!"

As usual the Pirates lost - and this time, lost big - but that didn't matter; what did matter was the fun times we'd had that night.

That, and Jackie gave me a home run ball she'd gotten that night, too. She'd signed it with the caption, "Thanks for the memories."

In the sky, the rising moon turned a semi-bright red, as the ninth inning concluded.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The Mewberty chapter is next! Stay tuned!


	11. Mewberty Massacre

It's not very often that I'd hang out with Stony Creek's resident troublemaker, Janna Ordonia, but today was an exception, as I was promised a hilarious prank on Marco that, according to Janna, would be much better with my magic.

"So to recap: I place this paint bomb inside Marco's locker, and then freeze the paint. Sounds simple enough."

"No, don't freeze the paint. I may be a prankster but I'm not that cruel," Janna responded.

"So where do I come in, then?"

"You still need to plant the paint bomb."

"Can't you do that yourself? I mean, you already know his combination," I questioned Janna's logic.

"True. But I need more pizzazz. Like some magic sparkles or crystals or something!"

"So… I'd still be freezing the paint…"

"Yeah."

Several seconds passed, then Janna said, "Well, what are you waiting for? Go put this in Marco's locker!"

"Okay, just hide somewhere close by. I'm going in…"

Bringing out my wand, I performed a lockpick spell on Marco's locker, and set the paint bomb inside. I also wanted to make sure nothing inside got damaged in any way, so I froze the contents beforehand. Then, I dashed some ice crystals on top of the paint bomb-

**Booommmm!**

Said pair bomb went off, covering me in pink and light blue paint. I could hear Janna laughing uncontrollably behind me.

"Janna! What in the name of Mewni was that!?" I yelled, genuinely surprised.

Janna continued laughing. "That… hahahaha, that cost me $20, but it was totally worth it!"

I chuckled a bit myself. "Okay, I will admit it, you got me real good. Nice work, Janna Banana."

_Why do I feel like Janna would get along pretty well with Ronnie Anne?_

I doused myself with Spinning Aqua Cannon to get rid of the paint, while Janna patted my shoulder. "Man, that was pretty hilarious. Well, see you soon!" she walked off towards Ms. Skullnick's room.

"Same to you there, Janna."

"Oh, by the way, you might want to check yourself in the mirror. There's a little red star on your forehead. I don't know if it's from the paint bomb, or…" Janna's voice faded away as she walked off.

"A little red star…? The only stars I have are blue…" I thought aloud as I pulled up my phone's camera. Sure enough, a red six-point star was on my forehead, just as Janna pointed out. I managed to peel it off - surprisingly, it didn't hurt at all - and then threw it off somewhere.

* * *

Later, after first period, Star was leaning on a counter, looking out the window at Oskar as he played his keytar. At least I didn't have to wear ear plugs anymore whenever he's around, but that didn't necessarily mean he was still any good at what he's doing.

"You know, Star, I still don't know what you see in that kid," I said.

Star ignored me, causing Marco and Jackie to sigh in annoyance.

"Anyways, guys, it's time to go," Marco called out, grabbing Star. But then Marco noticed something about Star. "You got some paint or something, right here," he pointed at her head.

Star scratched at her head, then opened her hand. In it was a small purple heart.

"Marco, this is not paint."

"Wait, I apparently had a red six-point star on my head earlier. I thought it was just from Janna's paint bomb, but that was blue, not red. Unless I'm missing something, this has to be connected somehow," I reasoned.

"Well, looks like you got another heart and you another star," Marco said dismissively. Jackie couldn't help but chuckle.

"Quiet, guys… I think me and Luma are going through… **Mewberty**…" Star said. More hearts appeared on her face, and she tried to hide them with her hair.

"Uh, Luma?" Jackie pointed out more red stars on my own face.

"Well, okay. Mewberty. Nothing to be afraid of. We have a similar thing on Earth," Marco explained to Star. _Wait, but I'm not actually Mewman! If what Star said is true, what even do I expect to happen?_

"Don't confuse this with your Earth things, Marco! We're from Mewni!" Star shouted at Marco.

"So… Mewberty. What exactly happens during Mewberty?" Jackie asked.

"This is gonna get real weird…" Star's voice softened into a panicked whisper. "You gotta keep me away from boys!"

"And if Mewberty is anything like what us Earth teens go through, I'm assuming Ocean Prince here goes girl crazy too?" Jackie added, referring to me.

"That's a safe bet," I replied. Sure enough, something about Jackie made her more attractive than before, but I couldn't quite place it.

"Wait a second… Marco's a boooyyyyyy…" Star sounded like she was ready to pounce on Marco.

"Heh heh, so when you say things are going to get weird, do you mean typical Star and Luma weird, or 'destroy the school' weird?" Marco asked.

Without hesitation, Star said, "Destroy the school."

"That's what I was afraid of. Come on, let's get you two home," Marco said.

"Okay, see 'ya later, Jackie," I called out.

"You too. Hey, stay amazing, okay, Luma?"

* * *

Me, Marco, and Star walked the halls of Stony Creek Middle School as Star tried her best not to even look at any boys. I wasn't really doing any better at trying to avoid girls (other than Star, of course) and as more hearts appeared on Star and stars on me, I put up the hood up on my blue hoodie and tried to focus on my phone, which was opened up to a replay of some NHL playoff game. _Hey, it was either that or Amphibia on demand, and who knows what would've happened if I ended up seeing Anne or Sasha…_

"Marco, I don't think this is such a good ideaaaaahhhhhh…" Star began, but got distracted by a boy at the water fountain.

I actually didn't fare any better. At some point, the video had to buffer (stupid crappy LTE signal!) and I looked up only to see several cheerleaders performing their routine. Chantelle's booty routine was actually really _really_ enticing...

"No, Luma! Control yourself! You're too young for this!" I told myself before things went too far.

Suddenly Marco screamed from behind me, and I turned around, inadvertently causing some weird red and yellow goop of some sort to shoot out of my hand and stick to a locker door.

Star apparently did the same thing a few lockers away, and all three of us screamed in slight terror.

Both of us tried to free ourselves from our respective locker doors. I managed to free myself, but Star ripped the door open and slipped inside.

"I'm stuck," she said simply.

"Umm… let me help," Marco offered.

"No! Your little boy hands are part of the problem!" Star retaliated, closing herself into the locker.

"Isn't there some way I can help? Maybe there's something in your Book of Spells that can stop this."

"Maybe?"

"I'll go home and get it," Marco offered.

"It's not at home! I gave it to Ferguson!"

"Why?"

"...I lost a bet, okay? Do you wanna help me or not?"

"Hey, wait! I have a PDF, remember? I can probably help, but it might take me a while…" I suddenly remembered, pulling up said PDF on my phone, which was becoming sticky from the weird red goop from my hands.

"Well, go ahead. I've gotta talk to Ferguson and get the actual book back," Marco said. "And Star, we've gotta talk about this betting thing later."

Marco ran off, while I searched through the PDF, looking for something about Mewberty, but it was becoming increasingly difficult between the red smudge causing the touchscreen to malfunction, and the fact that the red star petals kept getting in the way.

"Hey, bro. You might wanna hide too. If not, something crazy might happen," Star told me.

"Hey, good call. Marco's probably gonna report back with your spellbook, so I'm gonna go do that," I replied.

"Okay. Good luck, bro."

"Likewise. We're gonna need it, I feel like."

* * *

Taking Star's advice, I shut myself in another locker across campus. My phone's screen was too smudged up to work properly, so I gave up on that and opened my 3DS to Majora's Mask 3D just as the bell rang.

"Oh, pegasus feathers! C'mon, dude, focus on the game, focus on the game!"

But that didn't really work, as I had to wait for an event that, in-game, doesn't happen for another few hours, and I happened to look outside the locker at students changing classes.

"Crap! Crap! Crap! Don't look! Don't look!"

The bell rang again, and students dispersed into their second period classes.

"Okay, that wasn't too bad."

...Until the cheer squad began practicing directly outside the locker, complaining of bats inside the gym.

"Oh, shoot! Shoot! Shoot!"

More red stars covered the area, and soon I was completely covered in them. The process made me drop my 3DS, but thankfully it didn't break or anything, plus the growing pile of red stars forced it against the edge of the locker and closed it, putting it into sleep mode.

Speaking of sleep, I suddenly got pretty tired, and, deciding that would be better than going girl crazy, went with it and fell asleep.

* * *

When I woke up, it must've been around third period, as I heard students - _girllllssss_ \- walking about in the hallway. I also noticed that I was in some sort of cocoon.

_Guess I know why we're called Butterflies now._

But soon, coherent thought left my mind, as someone - it sounded like either Chantelle or Sherry - spoke up.

"Hey, take a look at this!"  
"It looks like some sort of star."  
"Why's it red though?"

More girls' voices were heard, and soon, all I could think about were girls.

I wanted all the girls I could find. And right now, there were probably hundreds in my current location. That would do nicely.

And so, I reached out to grab the first one, with both - no wait, all six - hands. A yelp was heard, but I paid no mind to that. I just wanted _her_.

The cocoon I was in broke open, and, sure enough, the cheer squad had come back, and were ripe for the picking.

"**Girrrllllsss...**" I made my move. Of course, they scattered, but I'd already captured at least two of them, managing to keep them in place with red webbing.

_Two down, probably several hundred more to go._

This cycle continued for about an hour: finding a bunch of girls, trapping them, and carrying them to the group for later, rinse and repeat.

I eventually ran into Star, who was holding a boy in her hands, trapped in her own purple webbing. For some reason, I wasn't as enamored with Star as I was with the other girls. Maybe it was because we were twins.

"Must find… more… boooyyysss/girrrrlllssss!" both of us said as we passed each other, Star to add to her collection of boys, and me to find one last group of girls to capture.

Then I heard Marco's voice. "Star! Luma! You've gotta get a hold of yourselves! You're scaring everyone!"

Marco grabbed one of Star's arms, and reached out to get one of mine but Star held him in place with her webbing. I had enough of a coherent mind to high five Star, as Marco had inadvertently gotten in the way of my mission.

"Now they're mad," one of the boys told Marco.

Star suddenly perked up. I heard keytar music in the distance and then things made sense.

"**Oskaaarrrr…**" Star flew off after him.

"Whoa… You weren't kidding when you said 'girl crazy'. Man, this is something else," another voice sounded.

I turned around to find…

"**Jackieeeee**…"

There it was. My mind was clear of everything except making Jackie mine. So I pounced.

Only to be stopped by Marco and a tennis net. Star was also trapped in the net, trying to get to Oskar.

Me and Star tried literally everything to get to our respective targets, including flying into a tree. We were literally dragging Marco throughout campus, before Marco apparently let go, so Star flew off with Oskar's car and I finally managed to grab Jackie, taking her up in the sky while she was still on her skateboard.

"Hey, Luma! I know you're all girl crazy and junk, but you think you can put me down!?" Jackie called out.

I looked Jackie in the eyes, and felt instantly calmed by the sight of her.

"I know, dude. I don't wanna admit it, but I feel the same way. Just… trust me."

And then Jackie kissed me.

And then something in me snapped.

I stopped flying, and held Jackie tight as gravity took over.

We closed our eyes, bracing for impact.

Landing in the remains of my cocoon, I wasn't hurt, surprisingly enough.

I shifted over, making sure Jackie was alright.

"Dude…"

Jackie opened her eyes.

"That was amazing! A little scary, but what a thrill!"

Jackie hugged me suddenly, and I returned the hug, happy we were perfectly okay after what happened.

Then I heard a buzzing sound. Jackie broke the hug and we both yelped in suprise.

"What was that?"

I looked behind me to find two small moth-like wings on my back.

"Wings?" I was legitimately confused.

"So, you can, like, fly anytime now? That would be sick, honestly," Jackie said.

"Nah, these are way too small for that, but I think it means whatever that crapshow was is over," I replied.

"Yeah, what was that? You'd turned into some sort of red bug thing, and you were trapping girls all over the place."

"Honestly, I don't wanna relive that. C'mon, let's go find Star and Marco. I think Star had the same thing happened to her at the same time as me, so let's go see if she's okay too," I offered.

"Sounds awesome…"

Jackie took my hand in hers.

"...my prince…"

And with that, me and Jackie went off to meet with Star and Marco.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some of the concepts of Mewberty that didn't already come from the show were actually taken from Chapter 4 of Blackwolf's _The Dawn of the Sun_, such as the effects of Mewberty not being affected by immediate family (in this case, Star); plus, Luma high fiving Star on trapping Marco and Luma commenting that Marco was "getting in his way" was a nod to the idea of Mewberty-affected Mewmans being hostile towards those of the same gender in regards to their mission of capturing potential mates. Just wanted to give Blackwolf credit for that. He's an amazing Star Vs. fanfic writer; go check him out! Tell him I sent 'ya.
> 
> On another note, Luma will not be participating in "Pixtopia" with Star and Marco. Instead, Luma will have his own adventure, and it has to do with the Blood Moon Ball and a perpetually angry demon prince, so stay tuned!
> 
> Please remember to review! Also, feel free to send me fanart! I'd really appreciate it!


	12. Blood Moon Ball Part 1: Luma Gets a Date

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Decided to just skim over "Lobster Claws" and "Sleep Spells" just to get to the juicy Blood Moon Ball chapter quicker. This one is just lots of prep, with lots of filler to lead up to the big event. I'm very excited to start writing the ball and kickstart Luma and Jackie's relationship while also giving Starco some early momentum, even moreso than the show itself.
> 
> Have suggestions? Leave a review/comment!

Sunday, at the Diaz household…

I was on the phone with Jackie in me and Star's room, while Marco, Ferguson, and Alfonzo were downstairs messing with Star's mirror.

"...I literally don't care what anyone says. That concert last night was awesome!"

"_Yeah, I agree. Honestly, I would never have thought you were a fan of Bebe Rexha._"

"Yeah. Aren't I full of surprises."

"_Anyways, I gotta go. See you in school tomorrow, I guess?_"

"Yeah. See you then."

"_Stay amazing._"

Jackie hung up then, which left me to my thoughts, which nowadays revolved around the Blood Moon Ball, which was coming up fast! The event, true to its name, was scheduled for this Friday, the same day as a "supermoon" lunar eclipse. I wanted to take Jackie to that ball, but there were a few problems.

That I didn't have an invitation…

And that me and Jackie weren't exactly… "a thing" yet.

Thing is, I'm still kinda trying to respect the fact that Marco still has a crush on her, despite him letting things happen between us and not caring if things do turn out great for us. Marco himself suggested the idea of asking Jackie out, which was something I'm still very nervous about even if it were someone else, like Janna or Sherry.

Laughter erupted from below, freeing me from my thoughts as I looked at Marco and his buddies hanging out making prank calls with Star's mirror. By then, Star had joined the group, and Ferguson told Marco to make another one. As the mirror rang, I joined them as well.

"I'm sorry, but you have exceeded your minutes," a pixie customer service woman answered. "Your mirror service has been temporarily suspended. Please visit our office in Pixtopia to settle your bill."

Star gasped. "No! What if my mom tries to call me? She's gonna freak!"

"Oh, sorry, Star. That's my bad. The calls were totally my idea," Marco owned up.

"Classic Marco," I chuckled.

"Marco, you messed up! Now you're just like me. Yeeeees…" Star teased.

"What? No! I-I made one mistake," Marco defended himself.

"Hey, don't be ashamed, Marco. A wise man once wrote: 'Everybody makes mistakes! Everybody has those days'," I quoted _Hannah Montana_.

Star continued teasingly giggling towards Marco.

"You two can be mess-up twins!" I suggested.

That caused Star to explode in laughter.

"What? Man, I ain't no twin. I'm... I'm... I'm Marco Diaz, only child! Besides, you're her twin, not me!"

Neither me nor Star would have it. Both of us glared at Marco with an expression that was a cross between mischievous and teasing.

"...Okay, where are your scissors? Let's go pay your bill," Marco gave up.

Star opened a portal to Pixtopia with Pony's scissors.

"Hey, I'm gonna stay behind on this one. I've gotta deal with something by myself," I told Star.

"No sweat, bro!" Star nodded, understanding.

Ferguson and Alfonzo immediately rushed up to Star and Marco. "You gotta take us with you! This dimension is so boring!"

"Oh, sure," Star seemed on board with that, too.

"Going into portal land, teenage boys are holding hands!" they sang as they went through the portal.

"Mess-up twins secret handshake!" Star offered Marco, who refused… and went through the portal; Star followed after him, leaving me to confront my own problem head-on:

Asking Star's ex-boyfriend, Prince Thomas Lucitor, for an invitation to the Blood Moon Ball.

"Maybe I should've thought this one through…" I realized. With the scissors in Pixtopia with Star and Marco, and Star's mirror effectively out of commission, that left one more option for me, which, thankfully, did not go through Pixtopia; rather, it worked through a joint effort between T-Mobile and Reflectacore. _Thank Mewni for that, at least._

* * *

"Hello, is this the Lucitor residence?"

An unintelligible series of grunts and screeches was my response. I couldn't really determine who or what was making those noises, but it did sound somewhat like a mix between a cat and some type of large bird.

"Um, hello?" I checked my phone's signal, which was weak, but good enough to prevent call drops.

More screeching was heard, before another voice, clearly either English or Mewman, was heard in the background. The screeching voice and the other voice seemed to be arguing or something, before a new voice spoke up.

"_Sorry about that. My mom doesn't know English at all. Anyways, who is this?_"

"Um… it's Luma. Luma Butterfly. And no problem. It makes sense that English isn't a common language in the Underworld."

"_Oh, it's you._" The voice turned bitter immediately, and I knew right then it was Tom on the other end.

"What do you mean, 'it's me'?"

"_You should know by now. I don't want anything to do with you Butterflies anymore._"

"Does this have anything to do with Star breaking up with you? Because if it does, you need to listen up."

"_I don't need your sympathy. You can just leave me alone._"

Ignoring that comment, I continued.

"Listen, I'm just gonna cut to the chase. This is about the Blood Moon Ball."

"_Wait, how do you know about that?_"

"Queen Moon," I replied simply.

"_Oh. Right. So what do you want from me then?_"

"I'd like to come. It sounds like fun!"

"_Ugh, of course. And this, coming from 'Prince Stays In His Room Doing Nothing All Day'. Why do you wanna go all of a sudden?_"

I chuckled a bit at Tom's bickering, then dropped the bomb on him (and to be honest, myself). "I wanna take this girl I'm interested in."

"_You have a date?_"

"Well, not _technically_. I wanted to make sure I had an invite before making my move."

"_And rub it in my face that your _sister _broke up with me?_" Tom replied jealously.

"Hey there. I'm not that insensitive. I just thought it would be kinda fun and kinda cute…" I trailed off, thinking about me and Jackie at the dance.

Tom fell silent on the other end, maybe thinking about my request,

"_Well… I'll let you come, on one condition._"

"Lemme guess: Star comes too?"

"_Darn it! Smart kid. But yes, I wanna try again with Star. Trust me, I've been trying to be less of a hothead."_

"Kinda ironic coming from a dude from the Underworld," I teased.

"_Yeah… In fact, my new life coach is coming in today._"

"Okay, that's good I guess…"

"_Don't worry about transportation. I'll have a carriage come your way Friday at 7:30. Just worry about your date, and I'll worry about mine._"

"Sounds good. Talk to you then?"

"_Sure._"

* * *

With that settled, it's time for phase 2: securing my date. I decided to wait for tomorrow for that, which meant sitting around doing nothing for a few hours while Star and Marco handle things over in Pixtopia. So I laid on the couch binging _Amphibia _and _The Loud House_, until at some point, I heard a crash in the backyard.

_Great. Now I gotta deal with Ludo…_

Coming outside, sure enough, Ludo and his goons were waiting for me.

"Hey, _Stink-o_! Ready to get pummeled for the hundredth time?" I taunted.

"Not gonna happen. Today, you and Star's wands will be mine!" Ludo responded. Deer Beard grunted in agreement.

"Speaking of Star, where the heck is she?"

"I'm not telling! And I've said before and I'll say it again. Just cause Star's not here doesn't mean I still can't kick your tails. Observe!"

I readied my wand, which glowed bright royal blue.

"**Narwhal Blast!**" Firing one of Star's specialty spells at the group, the battle was on.

The spell hit the group like a bowling ball, knocking down everyone but Spike Balls and the giraffe monster, who was still in a neck brace from the Squirrel Hill Tunnel incident a few days back.

"Awww, 7/10 split," I quipped.

Buff Frog got to me first, attempting a rolling kick that I dodged easily. The two headed monster did manage to land a hit, but it barely made a dent despite the size difference. A quick Crystal Dagger Heart Attack blew him away.

"Get that wand! Get the wand!" Ludo cried out.

As the battle progressed, it became clear that, as usual, Ludo was losing badly.

"Hey, y'all going easy on me or something? C'mon, bring it!"

Lobster Claws was next. He attempted to grab me with his claws, at one point almost successfully getting to me, until we noticed we were out of the view of the others.

At which point Lobster Claws said, "Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait. Hold on. Remember that time at Quest Buy?"

"Yeah, why?"

"The _Amphibia _finale is this Friday. We're still on for that?"

"Actually…"

Big Chicken found us, but was quickly dispatched by a Mega Fire Blast.

"...I might have a date Friday. I can DVR it though, and we can watch it on Saturday morning. Gotta watch out for spoilers though."

"Ooooh, a date! Sounds neat. I understand, dude. Have fun!"

"Thanks, man."

We then shook hands.

"Hey, when we go back, can you do that thing Maui did to Moana to make it look like we were in one on one or something?"

"Better idea. Spinning Hydro Cannon!"

Lobster Claws was fired back into the yard, coincidentally knocking him into Ludo. Lobster Claws growled, but secretly gave me a thumbs up.

"Get off me!" Ludo yelled from underneath Lobster Claws.

As he did, the group as a whole, sans Ludo, Lobster Claws, and Big Chicken, performed one last charge.

"Grand finale time. Ready for it?"

About a second passed with no verbal response besides the monsters' charging cries.

"**White-Out Dragon's Wind!**"

A pearl white dragon-shaped wind cloud blew outward, spewing snow in its path, and collided with the monsters with very large force. The spell wound up being so powerful, it blew the monsters through the yard's wooden fencing and damaged most everything in its path, including chunks of asphalt and concrete from the road and sidewalk behind our house.

"...Oops," I chuckled sheepishly. "I'll fix that later."

Ludo and his army were tattered from my spell. However, as they'd been blown across the yard and the road behind it, almost into the yard across _that_, so I couldn't even hear what they were talking about as they made their retreat back through a portal.

"Butterflies: 650, Ludo: 0. See you next time on _Magic Battle Royale_…"

* * *

The next day, before school, me, Star, and Marco were just hanging out outside Stony Creek Middle School. Star managed to switch service providers for her mirror, which was great. Meanwhile, Alfonzo somehow got betrothed to the Pixtopia empress. It did make for a neat story, but I couldn't help but wonder if that relationship would last very long.

Jackie rolled up to us and greeted, "Hey, Butterflies! How y'all doing?"

"Nice! I managed to beat Ludo. Again. It's kinda fun, but kinda annoying at the same time," I replied.

Jackie and Star nodded, understanding.

"Hey, Star?" Marco got her attention. "We should get to class."

Star said nothing, but followed Marco as he walked away.

"So, what else has been going on?" Jackie asked me.

"Not a whole lot. But listen. I gotta ask you something," I managed to let out through slight nervousness.

"Sure, let it go, dude."

"So, you know how the Butterfly Fan Club's been talking about this thing called the Blood Moon Ball?"

"Yeah, what about it?"

I gathered up all my courage and dropped the bomb, "I want to take you to it."

"You mean, like a date?" Jackie seemed… well, she seemed like she actually liked the idea.

"Well, y-yeah…"

"Sweet. I'll gladly come. I think it'll be fun," Jackie ruffled my hair a bit.

"Okay, nice. Hopefully I don't 'pull a Star' on this one. Seriously, I never thought I would-" I started, but Jackie interrupted.

"Dude, chill out. This is also gonna be my first real date, too."

"Really?"

"Yeah… but that's mostly cause 'Safe Kid' over there never really talked to me, let alone ask me on a date."

"Yeah, I don't know what's up with that. First he's all gaga over you but too afraid of doing anything, and now he's all 'Go get 'em, Luma, cause I never could figure it out for myself'. Like that's gonna work well…"

We shared a few laughs at that.

"Tell me about it. In fact, if you weren't around, I probably would've just gotten tired of waiting for him to make a move and ask him myself."

"Speaking of, you okay with going out with me and not Marco? I mean, you seem pretty interested in him… not that I blame you or anything…"

Jackie simply chuckled. "Dude, you're way cooler. Besides, I have a feeling he's gonna end up with another girl…" she glanced at Star.

"Yeah, I can see it too," I agreed, having had that exact impression a long time ago…

* * *

Tuesday was incredibly uneventful. No magical misadventures, no visits from Ludo, nothing out of the ordinary even by Mewnian standards. There was a Stanley Cup Final game, at least, but the series was tied 2-2 and it didn't even involve teams that I was remotely interested in.

Wednesday, Star had to deal with Lobster Claws and his attempts to become a hero, but I didn't really participate, instead giving myself to a _Loud House_ marathon ahead of a special of some sort.

Thursday wasn't too eventful either, apart from some weird princess trying to steal Star's face - _literally _\- but somehow, I'd slept through the entire ordeal. Tom called me at some point to set up the details concerning my invite to the Blood Moon Ball, but besides that, the penultimate episode of _Amphibia _was all I really paid attention to.

Now, it's Friday morning, the day of the ball. The moon, which was for some reason, was a red crescent in the middle of the day, was high in the sky opposite the rising sun.

Class hadn't started yet, but the students, including me and Star, were sitting in the classroom waiting, when suddenly the door opened to a pink-haired demon I instantly recognized as Tom. He was wearing an admittedly nice black tuxedo and sunglasses. He moved a random student out of the way, and greeted Star.

_This dude is a master of dramatic entrances_, I thought to myself.

Tom took off his sunglasses and greeted Star.

"Hello, Star. I'm here to take you…"

A red crescent moon made of flames came from his palm.

"...to the Blood Moon Ball."


End file.
